Sarah woke to the feeling of being watched. She was fairly aware that she wasn't in her own bed, the scent of cedar and spice tickling her nose, but the scent wasn't faded as the robe's had been. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and took in the sight of Jareth sitting in a chair, his feet up on another and eyes closed. His head lolled at an angle that made her neck sore just looking at him.
He hadn't changed appearance any since she had last seen him. She mused that his fatigue must have gotten the better of him. Again she was reminded of how little she actually knew about him. Was he still sick? Were other things troubling him, or had she really upset him that badly? And, how did time work here?
She sat up slowly, still pondering the last bit. How did time work? If he could send her back, so that she had only been gone minutes, when she clearly had been here hours, was it magic, or the fact that time moved faster here? Or both? As she pondered these things her eyes roamed over the book shelves, skimming across the array of colors and textures seated on dark wood up to the ceiling which she had merely glanced at before She now noticed the tapestries that hung, four in all, a red one with a crest embossed in silver, but the angle was wrong for her to get a proper view of it, a gold one with a view of the castle beyond the goblin city in burgundy, a green one with flowing script in white that Sarah guessed to be a language she was unfamiliar with. The final was black and held no markings at all. She searched about for a clock to no avail.
Sarah twisted to look out the large window properly, a crystalline moon now hung in the sky, the view cast in deep shadows.
"How long was I asleep." she muttered under her breath.
"Not even a full night's slumber." he answered her whispered thoughts, causing her to spin around only to see him rolling his shoulders.
There was so much she wanted and needed to say, but pride clogged her throat like a lump impossible to swallow around; and fear of his anger prevented her from openly questioning him. She shifted uncomfortable, unable to say or do anything.
"Ready to go home then?" he asked after the silence held for too long.
"No, not really." she answered, maybe too quickly, she could feel her ears becoming hot. She was focused on the robe across her knees, avoiding eye contact, gently kneading the material between her fingers.
He pulled on a sleeve drawing her attention to him.
"Funny the room should provide you with this instead of one of my many fine quilts." he humored out loud.
"The room?" she questioned. He had credited the room, not his own doing.
"Yes, the Solar, or family room as you may call it, is designed to provide the family their needs while relaxing here. You were evidently in need of rest and greatly desired a dressing gown." he gave her a full grin.
She scoffed, to hide the conflicting emotion that erupted inside of her. She had little doubt that he was trying to elicit a reaction from her, and that she was unwillingly giving him just what he wanted. Yet, the information he gave her left her excited to think a room that could give her whatever she asked for.
"So if I wanted breakfast?" she asked.
"Then we should take our conversation to the dining hall." he injected smoothly, giving her a warm smile.
"So no food in the Solar?" she observed, the implied rule reminding her slightly of her stepmother's insistence that she not have food in her own room, bringing an involuntary crease to her brow.
"It will provide you with a light snack but meals are a bit more formal." he clarified with a flourish of his hand, at the same time a glass of orange juice and a pop-tart appeared on the table.
She thought he had done it on purpose, she was still suspicious of the robe's appearance, but the look of bewilderment on his face when his gesturing hand nearly knocked into the glass was priceless.
She took that as her cue, and moved to the chair next him at the table. She slid her finger down the spine of the foil package of pop-tarts, blueberry, and offered Jareth one. He looked at it suspiciously and gingerly picked the pastry out of the package.
"It's not going to poison you." she said, the full implication of her words not registering until it was too late to take them back.
Jareth pulled a face, like he had just drank orange juice after brushing his teeth, the expression replaced quickly by one one of non interest, as he took a small bite, keeping a blank face as he chewed and swallowed.
Sarah took a bit larger of a bite, but kept quiet.
"Will you ever forgive me for that?" he inquired after a moment.
She could see the pain in his eyes, and, on some level she knew he had never meant to cause her harm. Still his ability to control and manipulate her, and his willingness to do it scared her. However she did have to admit that her teasing had gone a bit too far and it had put him in real peril.
Her guilt canceled any anger she could hold towards him, but it didn't equal trust, it wasn't so easily said though.
"I wish we could just put everything out on the table. No doublespeak, trickery, egos or pride in the way." she muttered, glowering at the remaining portion of his pop-tart.
"Why don't you?" The question was so innocent. His voice sincere, free of the usual sugar coating that made her weary of his end game.
She knew she had to be gaping at him. She couldn't get her array of emotions into words. Everything wanted to come out at once so she could say nothing at all. Memories of peaches, and crystal balls containing dreams flooded forward. Goblins on machines running her down, and her repeated pleas for her brother's return played in her memory.
Would he try tricking her again? Would he laugh at her if he knew what she really thought and felt? Hell, did she really know what she thought and felt when it came to him?
She clenched her jaw, and breathed deeply. If he had no power over her, why was she always so off kilter around him?
Her gaze had gone unfocused past his shoulder while she thought on it.
Why not start by giving him an honest answer to his question?
"Because , well, because if I did, it would give you all of the power. It would leave me completely exposed, and I'm not sure I can trust that you wouldn't use it against me." she declared, voicing her fears before all else.
Something changed in his eyes, it was like all the stars in that expansive nebula she had seen suddenly went out, they became dark, hard and cold. She suppressed the shudder that ran through her body, and the flight instinct that was quickly kicking in.
"This from the girl who watched me suffer in a cage and did nothing to help until I was completely powerless." his words dripped with pain and bitterness.
"Wait, what? I couldn't do anything during class, and I didn't know you were sick at that time. You are the one who flew into the window like an angry crazed and deranged bird to begin with." This wasn't going well, she didn't want another fight.
"How did you expect me to react to the sight of those outfits, after you so cruely threw my declarations of love back at me in the form and mockery of goblins dressed in our likeness." Jareth stood suddenly making to storm from the room. If she hadn't been focused on him so intently she would have missed the momentary flinch after he had said 'declarations of love'.
Sarah darted her hand out and grabbed his wrist firmly.
"Don't! Would you stop running away or banishing me from your presence when things get tense. We need to talk this out. I want to get past this, but I need your help."
Jareth didn't turn around, but he didn't leave either.
So much was running through Sarah's head. He had been different, ever since last night, he hadn't threatened or berated her. He hadn't tried to impress or dominate her. He had offered her refuge and left her alone to rest. Yet he seemed to upset so easily.
"I don't get you Jareth, I don't know anything about you, not really, and yet, you say these things." she took a shaky breath, still holding onto his wrist.
"How can you say you love me, and yet have put me through what you did?" Sarah felt Jareth stiffen even more in her grip before he slowly turned around.
"Do you truly not understand that your dreams have called out to me for some time now? I told you before, I did everything in my power to be what you expected, what you desired of me. You wished your brother away, by the laws of magic that bind me to my title and this land I had to fulfill your wish. Did I not then give you a way out of your own desires?" Though his voice was filled with passion, a thread of hurt still ran through his words.
"I offered you your dreams, you rejected them, I offered you power over me, you denied me. I exhausted myself trying to be what you desired."
Jareth had brought his free hand up to cup her cheek as he spoke, his gloved thumb gently stroking her jaw, and forcing her to once more look into his eyes.
The dark coldness had left them, but they didn't hold the breath taking promise of mischief that seemed natural to them either. Tired and weary, and filled with an emotion she wasn't quite sure of.
It took her a few heart beats to realize that he was searching her eyes just as intently. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that he saw. She wasn't sure of when, but all distance between them had closed, she was as close to him now as she had been when they danced.
A shiver of thrill passed through her, the commanding power he exuded contradicted his gentle touch and questioning expression.
She swallowed, forcing herself to form a reply to his questions.
"It's just as I said." Her voice came out too soft, too fragile "I don't know you well enough. I don't know what laws govern you. I don't have magic, I don't know the rules." Her voice gained a little strength as she spoke.
He released her chin and now looked away from her, making it impossible to read his reaction to her words.
His silence bothered her, she couldn't help but feel that she had hurt him again.
Not completely sure of her actions she reached up to turn his face towards her.
"But I want to learn, I want to get to know you." She said even as he deftly caught her fingers with in his.
"That would mean spending time, here, with me." he replied, his expression skeptical.
"You mean just coming to visit for a bit? I've told you already, I can't stay. I can't leave Toby, and my parents would worry.", at least her father might.
" We can work that out. I can't keep altering time, so you will have to find a way not to be missed by them. But I would not hold you captive, even if I could. As you surely have discovered, you have the ability to move between your realm and mine on your own. Though I would caution a little training on how to do so effectively. I would prefer not to pull you out of an oubliette all wet faced each time"
The mischief returning to his eyes as he teased her, flashing white canines as well.
She huffed with false indignation, tugging her hand free only to have him place his now unoccupied hand on her hip.
"I told you already, Your Majesty, that I was having a bad day." She returned his grin cheekily driving her point home by lightly thumping him on the shoulder. He raised his left eyebrow in response but didn't otherwise counter her.
"Speaking of time I should get you back before too much more has passed. Give me this dance and I will give you the tips needed to return here safely."
While his words were phrased as a demand Sarah was starting to understand that her dear Goblin King simply wasn't use to making request.
"It would be my pleasure." She returned, becoming aware that they had already started to sway to the music which she had just become conscious of.
They danced in silence, Sarah being taken in by the music, the warmth of her hand in his as they gently swayed and turned, and his scent so close.
"Just remember if this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
Just call me up because you know I'll be there
And I see your true colors shining through
I see your true colors
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show"
As the tune faded out he whispered next to her ear
"Now you have all that you need. Focus on this dance and your magic should lead you back. No spoken wish needed. Now, off to bed with you Precious."
Sarah bolted up in her bed. The night sky twinkling down at her.
She may have convinced herself that it was all a dream, if it hadn't been for the lingering scent of cedar and spice that clung to her.
She huffed a sigh as it dawned on her that he had given her a way to get back to him, but not the way to return home on her own. He was definitely a tricky one.
AN: Credit for the song: True Colors by Cyndi Lauper, Epic records 1986, written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly