DISCLAIMER: I do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters associated with the film. They are the property of the Jim Henson Company.
Sarah's fingertips pressed against the glass of the window and she saw it for what it was: a slimy stone wall of the labyrinth. She felt the rain pelting down on her, she felt Jareth's turmoil, and she could actually feel the magic surrounding her and trapping her in the ball. I did it again? She thought incredulously. As she touched the window, she felt that very dangerous man grip her wrist forcefully. Jareth passed her something through the wall, and she felt a heightened sense of fear in him. He told her, unconsciously, to bring this - unwelcome guest- she'd heard in his thoughts, to the castle. There was urgency in the request, and she felt different from whatever it was that he'd past to her through the wall. But the contact was broken, and the glamour fell back into view as her unpleasant dance partner yanked her back towards him.
"I thought you were getting a drink," he growled dangerously in her ear. How had she ever thought that danger was likeable? Even if magic held her, she should have known that this kind of danger is never fun.
He was dragging her to the center of the floor, and she could see the edges of the glamour fading. Either he was losing grip on the magic, or she was finally seeing things as they were after remembering the truth of the situation.
"I was," she whispered.
It was imperative for her to regain her handle on the situation. He couldn't know that she was leading him to the castle with the aid of whatever it was Jareth had given her. He couldn't know that she had come into contact with Jareth through the wall. She would have to make it look like he was forcing her to take him, or else she'd have to change the game entirely.
He spun her violently to face him, bruising her arm with brute force. She looked him in the eye, and he knew that the glamour had been lost on her. He smiled wickedly and she was in the rain again. Shivering and drenched, Sarah was painfully aware that a white polo shirt was not the wisest fashion decision for rainy days.
"Tut, tut, Sarah," he said in a mocking tone. The rain did not touch him. Now that is totally not fair, she thought.
"We could've done this the easy way," he whispered as he moved forward to push a dripping strand of hair from her face. "I could have had you lead me to him without you ever knowing of your own betrayal."
Sarah glared at him. The defiance that she had once felt when opposing Jareth at the age of fifteen welled up inside her. Who was he to underestimate her?
"Yeah, well sorry. Glamour magic never had that much hold on me," she spat. When he looked irritated she couldn't help but add one last word: "Cheater."
His icy eyes were on fire and he was upon her before she knew it. He'd grabbed her arm, re-injuring the already present bruise with a new force and slapped her face hard enough to knock her off her feet. He still held her by the arm, so that she dangled, dazzled by a pain that had been totally unexpected. He pulled her to her feet.
"Listen to me, little girl," his clipped voice clear in her ear, each word overly enunciated. "I am not Jareth."
"That's evident," she weakly interjected, expecting another physical blow. He did not hit her, but merely continued as though she'd never spoken.
"I have been planning this for a long time. You will not disrupt my plans. You will take me to the castle," he finished. It was not a request, it was a demand.
"Like hell I will," Sarah muttered.
She started to realize that something was draining from him into her. It sent panic racing through her mind. What was he doing to her? Instantaneously she realized that it was what she was doing to him. She smirked involuntarily. Jareth's gift. What she was draining from him was still lost on her, but the contact between them was necessary. Although she loathed the thought of this violent, angry man touching her, it was necessary. She had to play the part, and she had to do it well. This was the performance of her lifetime.
He had her by both arms now, crushing her limbs with unnecessary force. She had to think fast, what was the best way to win him over? He knew too much, he had been following her. He probably knew that Jareth had not taken anything from her, so she had no real reason to run the labyrinth. Then it occurred to her. He didn't know that she wasn't completely ignorant of what was going on.
"Will you stop hurting me if I help you?" she asked quietly. He had been ready to hit her again for her last comment. His grip loosened on her slightly, and he eyed her with suspicion. She could feel more…power…draining into her through the contact between them. Power. Magic. It must be magic that's coming through, she thought. What had Jareth done to her?
"And why, precious thing, should I believe that you have had a change of heart?"
Sarah cringed inwardly at the endearment. This enemy knew way too much about her past relations with Jareth. She was not here by coincidence. She had to make him believe. She had to earn his trust.
"I don't know what Jareth's playing at: the rain, the lack of…well…anything moving around the labyrinth," she gestured lightly with a nod of her head to her surroundings. "But, I don't like it. I haven't been able to contact my friends, and I want to know why. I want to be sure that they're safe."
He surveyed her as though looking for some lie to jump up and wave at him. He was considering that she didn't know that he was behind the rain. That she didn't know why she couldn't contact her friends. They were half truths, and therefore easy to deliver. She knew that it wasn't Jareth, and that was the hardest part to convey. She still shot dislike and defiance at her captor with her eyes. She couldn't go soft on him all at once, it simply wasn't believable. He would smell the lie.
He released her arms and turned from her. She watched him force the labyrinth walls apart so that they could take the path. Then he came back for her, roughly taking her arm and pulling her towards the exit he'd made. Sarah thought that it must be painful for Jareth to have his walls pried open by force.
"I don't believe you," he hissed, his breath on her ear. "I want you to know that. And, if you make one flippant, defiant move against me, I will not hesitate to hurt you, possibly kill you. But, I need you and you need to make it to that castle. In serving yourself, you'll serve me. Understand, darling Sarah?"
"Understood," she replied. She had no further plans to be defiant towards him, in fact she had quite the opposite planned. But it would take time and effort. The journey ahead would be far more treacherous than she had anticipated.
I should've listened to that damn worm, she admitted glumly to herself.
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Nearly every creature in the Labyrinth that could fit in the throne room encircled their King and the crystal which showed Sarah. There was an eerie silence, as no words exchanged between Sarah and the enemy could be heard, and yet no one dared to make a sound. Tension was high. Sarah was known throughout the Underground. There were so many stories: a number of goblins knew her as "the girl who ate the peach and forgot everything"; others speculated about the suspicious relationship she had with their King; most creatures knew her as the most recent human to make it through the Labyrinth; and all of them sensed an innate importance surrounding her. Especially since she was the only thing allowed out into the Labyrinth at this time. Especially since their king was so very obsessed with watching her progression through the labyrinth.
Jareth was incensed with the unnecessary force that his foe had applied with Sarah. Defiant and irritating though she could be, he doubted that her words had been what triggered the violence. Everything was a show for his benefit.
He watched Sarah's face in the crystal. He could see the tiniest of alterations in her eyes and knew she was lying to the dark man. Jareth knew that she didn't understand what it was that he had given her. Regardless, she would be using it unknowingly. He only hoped that he hadn't made a mistake in giving it to her. Depending on her body's ability to absorb magic, she may be in grave danger, especially since the magic in use here was clearly and irrevocably the very darkest in existence. He hoped that she would hurry to the castle, but with Sarah things were never simple, never straight forward.
"It's a piece of cake."
He smiled at the memory. At least she wouldn't have to contend with his pride throughout this journey.