Sarah took a deep breathe, stood up, and brushed herself down. There was no way she would let what just happened affect her. Jareth was just playing another stupid game, most likely.
She turned and walked back the way she'd come, to see Hoggle and Sir Didymus arguing over something and Ludo sitting in front of a small campfire and counting his toes. Sarah smiled.
"Ah, Miss Sarah, please tell Mr Hoggle that he is in my personal sleeping area and must move immediately!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, waving his paw angrily at Hoggle, and gesturing at a patch of floor under a tree.
Hoggle spluttered. "YOUR area! I saw it first, I'll have you knows, and if you don't move I'll spray you like the fairies. Humph!" He pushed Sir Didymus and sat down determinedly. Sarah held back a giggle.
"Why don't you share it?" she suggested. Sir Didymus and Hoggle looked at each other, and then back at Sarah.
"NO WAY!" they shouted simultaneously. Sarah crossed her arms and frowned.
"Really now, I thought you were better than this. Since you can't agree, you can both find different spots." Sir Didymus bowed reluctantly.
"Yes, Miss Sarah." He sighed, and plodded off to another tree, further away from the fire, to his obvious disappointment.
"No." Hoggle pouted. "Hoggle isn't moving." Sarah was about to plead with him, and tell him it isn't fair if Sir Didymus moves and he doesn't, when a voice from behind her intervened.
"Hoggle, you'll move right now, I can still transport you back to the Bog of Eternal Stench if I wish." Jareth silky voice sent a shiver down Sarah's spine. Hoggle's eyes widened, and he hurriedly got up and shuffled quickly away, to the opposite side of the fire from Sir Didymus, whom he shot an evil look. "Really Sarah, I don't see why you enjoy the company of these things." Jareth shook his head.
"They're my friends." Sarah retorted, narrowing her eyes. "I hate how you badmouth them, like you're so much their superior." Sarah stormed off and plonked down next to Ludo, and leant her head on his shoulder. Jareth couldn't help but wish it was his shoulder she leaned on. He clenched his fists.
No way would he treat a stupid girl's companions as equals.
He transformed into the snowy barn owl and flew up a tree to sleep.
Sarah woke up to the sound of tiny shrieks and the smell of toast. She blearily opened her eyes and stretched.
Hoggle had brought his special spray with him, and was, as ever, furiously attacking fairies with a look of glee on his face.
"Morning, precious." Sarah jumped. Looking down at her was Jareth, holding a piece of toast. "Eat. We've got a long journey ahead of us today." Sarah thanked him and took the toast, and started nibbling at the crusts.
Jareth sat down cross-legged, and watched her, fascinated. He'd never tried toast before. It was a human food. Sarah ate is so delicately. It made him sick how she was still so beautiful even when she had just woken up and was eating a cooked piece of bread. Sarah pretended not to notice, and watched Hoggle try (and fail) to climb a tree, to reach a fairy that was taunting him from the upper branches.
"Which way are we headed today?" Sarah mumbled through a mouthful of toast. Jareth smiled at her, and leaned back on his arms.
"Whichever way you want. I have no idea where to go." He said carelessly. Sarah choked.
"What? You don't know where the king is?" Jareth smirked and shook his head. Sarah scowled.
Great, so I'm being hunted down by the Queen of Darkness for some unknown reason and now I have no idea how to get to the one person who can help. She thought miserably.
"Psst." A nearby flower whispered. Sarah sighed. It really did sound like they were talking. "We know where to go." It whispered again. Okay, so it WAS talking. Sarah pounced on it.
"What did you say?"
"Follow us!" the flower swayed slightly.
"What on earth are you doing?" Jareth inquired. Sarah looked at him like he was mad.
"I'm talking to the flowers." She continued to whisper away to a forget-me-not. Jareth crouched down next to her, and peered at the blue flower in confusion.
"You can hear the flowers?" He said slowly. Sarah stared at him in exasperation.
"Jareth, please shut up! It's telling me where to go!" Sarah looked back at the flower, apologized, and continued to nod at the inaudible words only she could hear. Jareth stood up.
Sarah shouldn't be able to hear the flowers. Even he couldn't do that. Only the forest dwellers and elves could speak the language of the plants. No human girl should have the ability.
Suddenly, Sarah stood up, a look of victory on her face. "We head west." She grinned in pride. Jareth's brows furrowed. It wouldn't do her any good to tell her that she was doing the impossible. He decided to keep quiet for now. He nodded.
"Wake the others." He told her. He leaned in close. "Looking forward to our next kiss?" Sarah blushed furiously and pushed him away, speed walking in Ludo's direction to attempt to wake him from his slumber.
Jareth was so… so… so him. So naturally arrogant and infuriating. It was almost as if he enjoyed pressing her buttons. He probably did, actually. She wouldn't put it past him.
She eventually managed to wake Ludo who woke up yelling for "Rocky", and Sir Didymus, who was snoring a lot louder than he looked capable of.
The ground started shaking again. Sarah looked over to where Jareth was in fear, and he immediately ran to her side and held her in his arms until the non-earthquake stopped.
"We need to get going." He said quietly. Sarah nodded, and took the hand of wailing Ludo, telling him it was okay. Hoggle didn't even seem to have noticed the sudden shaking, and continued attacking fairies with venom. Sarah noticed Sir Didymus had climbed onto Ludo's back and was quivering in fear.
He righted himself when he saw Sarah had noticed. "O-onwards, fair maiden!" He stuttered, pointed forwards with his tiny sword. Sarah smiled at him reassuringly, and pulled Ludo along behind her.
Jareth walked sulkily alone in front, not saying a word. He still moved in a cat like way, but his shoulders were slightly raised and he seemed to have to drag his body. Sarah let go of Ludo's hand and jogged to catch up with him.
"What's wrong?" Jareth jumped. He smirked.
"Worried about me?" he teased. Sarah instantly regretted asking. "I'm just thinking about how I'm going to ask you to be my wife now that we've had to abandon the castle."
"I don't want a stinking proposal. I don't want to marry you at all, for that matter!" Jareth's mocking smile quickly disintegrated and an angry scowl took its place.
"Your heart is as almost as twisted as my Labyrinth, Sarah." And once again, he stormed off in front. Sarah followed.
They travelled through a good part of the forest, ducking under branches and stepping over raised roots. Instead of holding back twigs for Sarah, Jareth seemed to be almost deliberately pinging them back. Sarah swore to get revenge later.
Gradually, the spaces between the trees grew wider and wider, and eventually only came every so often.
They had exited the forest.