Thanks again to all who took the time to review. I love you all!
P.S. Aren't you excited about the quick update? :P Don't get your hopes up though; I'm not sure I can keep this up! ;)
Stumbling clumsily back to her bedroom, Sarah tried to quell her racing heart. Inhale, exhale, inhale exhale, she coached herself, Calm down Sarah! Just calm down! She furiously tore at her dress lacings in an effort to remove the ruined dress. Finally, she gave up and ripped the destroyed material over her head. With a growl of frustration, she threw the offending article into a corner, simply glad to be rid of it.
Sarah was confused. Her heart had yet to stop pounding, but she had long since stopped running. She wasn't sure why she was so upset, or what she was even upset over. Was it that the Goblin King offered to untie her dress, or was it that she had made a fool of herself in front of said Goblin King, multiple times?
He almost kissed me!
Calm down Sarah, it was only your hand; it doesn't mean anything.
Then why am I freaking out?
Breathe!
He was so close...
Why was I not disgusted?
You let him get that close...
He was so different tonight. Lighthearted and funny even. Practically likable.
Don't be fooled...
Fooled?
Fooled. You don't like his company...
But I think I do...
Foolish girl! You couldn't possibly-
With a scream, Sarah clutched her head, trying to drown out her thoughts. Some of them didn't even seem to be hers. Tearing through her closet, she quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. Hoping a distraction would help clear her mind, she snatched a book off her shelf and settled down in her chair.
Nope. It didn't work. Thoughts and feelings continued to swirl through her mind, and Sarah didn't know what to do with them all. With a groan, she slipped on her shoes, hoping a walk through the castle would help her wind down. Opening her door slightly, Sarah peeked into the hall to see if the coast was clear. No one was in sight, and she quietly slipped out into the corridor. Meandering through the halls, she didn't notice the castle was almost completely silent, so wrapped up in her confusing emotions.
It was in this manner that Sarah found herself in front of the castle doors. Suddenly, she was gripped with a desire to go outdoors. She remembered the Goblin King's warning, but Sarah kept feeling that it didn't matter. She simply had to leave the castle. The urge almost frightened her; the rebellion so foreign and unnatural, but her desire to leave overpowered any fear. With some effort, she silently pulled open one of the doors. Dragging it behind her, Sarah left it open a crack and stared at the Labyrinth before her.
It's almost as beautiful in the moonlight as it is in the sunrise, she thought, making her way down the castle steps, Now, which direction to go...
Try the left...
Sarah blinked. Where had that idea come from? That voice didn't even sound like her own. Shaking her head in confusion, Sarah ventured down a small path; leading to the left, but making sure to stay on it. She didn't want to get lost by losing the path she took. Carefully, she picked her way through the comforting and safe-looking hedges. However, as she walked on, the walls turned to tall foreboding stone, and she soon decided to turn around and walk back to the castle. However, when she turned around, she gasped in horror. The path was gone! Whirling back around, Sarah was greeted by more stone wall. "It keeps changing!" she cried. She paced a moment, then glanced around once more trying to assess her situation and find a solution to her predicament.
All right, calm down Sarah, she assured herself, You'll be fine. See? There's the castle. Just keep it in sight and follow it. She began to make her way towards the direction of the castle. Soon you'll be safe in your room, and look back and laugh at this silliness. However, her self-assurances died when she heard a low growl coming from behind her. She slowly turned around, and screamed at what she saw.
Meanwhile...
Jareth paced his study, fuming. "Stupid! Stupid!" he berated himself, "You just had to ruin a perfectly good evening. What an idiot!" The Goblin King kicked over a chair and knocked over a pile of papers in his rage and let out a strangled yell of frustration. "She's barely been here a week! You can't expect her to-" With a groan, he plopped down on top of his desk, burying his face in his hands.
Maybe Garret was right, he mumbled to himself, I don't know how to treat guests. She was obviously uncomfortable...
The king took in a deep breath and snapped his fingers, righting the chair he kicked over and gathering the scattered papers. I should apologize. He resolved, Right now! Jareth hopped down from the desk and straightened his shirt. With another deep breath, he left his trashed study. However, he paused at his doorway. Maybe this isn't the best idea.
Of course it is. An apology is completely necessary.
But at this hour?
The sun's barely set!
He stood and mentally argued with himself for a short while, before making up his mind.
Striding down the corridors towards Sarah's room, he thought over what he should say. Perhaps I should just wait until tomorrow, he reasoned, once again overcome with doubt, She could be sleeping.
Just say sorry you big ninny! That's it. Then you can leave.
Arriving at Sarah's bedroom door, he curtly gave several knocks. After several moments with no answer, he knocked again, this time calling out, "Lady Sarah, it's, uh, me." Still no one answered the door.
Now rather concerned, Jareth knocked once more. "Sarah, if you don't respond, I'm opening this door."
Finally, after a few moments with no reply, Jareth turned the knob and pushed the door open with a call of "Here I come" , only to find the room completely empty. Puzzled, he strode about the room, looking about for clues as to the reason for her disappearance.
The white dress she had worn to and destroyed at dinner was carelessly wadded up in a corner, and her wardrobe's doors were flung open. A book was lying open and face down on the rug near the fireplace. Picking it up, Jareth pondered over Sarah's disappearance.
Summoning a crystal (and wondering why he hadn't thought of that sooner) Jareth quickly scanned the castle, in hopes she was simply wandering the halls. Much to his chagrin however, she was not in the castle at all. He widened his gaze, and searched the Labyrinth through the ball. Almost immediately, an image of Sarah drifted into the crystal. Jareth let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, but his relief faded when he realized where exactly she was and what she was with.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, striding to the window. He quickly turned into his owl form, and soundlessly took off into the night.
Flying above the Labyrinth, Jareth scanned below him, heightened senses aiding in his search of Sarah. However, a scream pierced the night rendered theses senses pointless; the scream pinpointing the girl's location. With a swoop, Jareth landed and quickly changed into human form, just in time to see Sarah dart around a wall. A blur of green flashed behind her, and Jareth quickly took off in their direction.
Rounding the corner, Jareth came face-to-tail to a full sized, full grown windwalker dragon. It had cornered Sarah, and from what Jareth could see, it seemed to have taken a swipe at the girl, judging by the tear in her massive shirt. However, Jareth could see no blood, and assumed she was unhurt for the time being. But she soon would be if he didn't work quickly. The dragon was already preparing to strike again. Taking a deep breath, he reached out for the magic of the Labyrinth, and worked with it to reorder it's appearance.
All three felt the shifts, and Sarah's eyes flooded with relief when she caught sight of the Goblin King behind the dragon. Her relief faded quickly though, and with a scream, she ducked as the dragon tried to snatch her up. Rolling back to her feet, she dodged another one of the dragon's attempts. A shout from Jareth to "step back!" sent her nearly on her backside, and she quickly scooted backwards. A wall rolled over where she had just been standing, separating her from the dragon for the time being.
Meanwhile, Jareth was working as fast as he could to get rid of the threat completely. The dragon turned around to face it's new opponent, but Jareth swiftly summoned a crystal and threw it at the dragon's feet. Immediately, the ground beneath it gave way, and the massive beast fell into a dark, deep oubliette. Before it could spread it's wings and fly out of the hole, the ground closed back over the dragon, sealing it in.
Concerned for Sarah, Jareth slid the stone wall back, revealing the girl's form slumped against the opposite wall, eyes closed. He glanced over her, checking for any visible injuries and his fears were quieted slightly when he found none. Kneeling next to her, Jareth asked, "Are you hurt?"
Unable to communicate verbally just yet, Sarah shook her head.
"And you're certain?" Jareth persisted. He had to be sure she all right.
"Y-yes." she replied shakily, rubbing her arms, "I'm f-fine."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jareth stood up. Now sure that she was uninjured, he was rather upset at her foolishness.
"What were you thinking?" he demanded, "You could have been killed!" He began to pace. "Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't-" he stopped short.
Oblivious to Jareth's unfinished sentence, Sarah buried her face in her hands, ashamed of the tears pricking her eyes. "I'm sorry." she whispered, "I j-just don't know what happened. Suddenly I was at the door... And- and then something told me to g-go into the Labyrinth, and then I was here and then..." gradually her voice grew louder, and her tears let loose. Body racking in sobs, Sarah held her arms. "I'm sorry." she repeated, "I'm so sorry."
Guilt flooded Jareth. Now was obviously not the best time to confront her. She was still scared, and yelling at her was not the most comforting thing to do. Kneeling back down, Jareth awkwardly rubbed her arm, unsure of what to do.
"I'm sorry." he ventured at length, "That was... unnecessary. You haven't even caught your breath yet, have you?" He stood up, pulling Sarah with him. "However, we should return. You never know what else could pop out at you." Supporting Sarah's weight, Jareth summoned the Labyrinth's magic once more, this time clearing away all the walls separating the pair from the castle. The journey back was significantly shorter, but Sarah was still grateful to have someone to lean on.
As they entered the castle (doors opened courtesy to the snapping of Jareth's fingers) Sarah turned to face the Goblin King for the first time since she fled the dining room earlier that evening. "Thank you." she said softly, "For saving my life that is."
Jareth offered her a genuine smile and a small bow. "My pleasure." he answered smoothly.
Sarah returned a small smile. Then, without warning, she quickly moved forward and threw her arms around the king's lean frame. "Thank you so much." she whispered again. Jareth froze, unsure of how to respond. Slowly, he brought his arms around, wrapping them around Sarah. "You're welcome," he replied quietly. So quietly in fact, that Sarah almost missed it.
Pulling away from the embrace, Sarah swiftly placed a small peck on Jareth's smooth cheek, and fled down the hall; leaving the Goblin King alone and speechless for the second time that night.
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