A King's Curse
A/N:Then number of reviews I got for the last chapter is slightly depressing, but I've waited for you guys long enough. Here's the next chapter. Haven't you ever wondered what Jareth was up to while Sarah was running around the Labyrinth. Well here's my interpretation as well as a bit of explanation for some of the less than friendly things he did to Sarah. I was never pleased with him acting like such a jerk, until I wrote it. See if you can figure out what's going on, I dare you.
I've finished actually writing it, so this is done now and you shall see it all when I post it. After this I'm doing a side story for my friend BK I got it and then I'll probably work on the sequel, yes there is a sequel coming. I might write another chapter for my fluff archive, or I might not, fluff archives are for when you need to write something but don't want to work on serious storyline.
Anyway, please give me reviews, for they fill me with happy happy joy joy, that makes me run around the room making airplane noises with my arms outstretched. I really do that. So... review. Anyone who goes back and reviews chapter ten on top of reviewing this chapter gets chocolate.
Chapter Eleven - Reaching Out
Jareth felt the color, what little there was, drain from his face, "Toby."
Sarah had wished away her baby brother. The goblin in front of him way saying something, but he couldn't hear it. He couldn't even hear Toby's obvious wail. He could see it, but his mind was barely registering that.
Nothing was in focus; it was almost as though his brain had completely shut down from shock.
Sarah had wished away Toby, had indirectly invited the goblins to wreak havoc around her house. Jareth couldn't breathe. The goblins were perfectly willing and capable to cause the serious physical or mental harm. There wasn't time; every second was another moment that the goblins had to potentially torture Sarah. Saving her from his own subjects was not what Jareth was hoping for as news.
Body reshaping, owl limbs took the place of his more human ones. It burned to transform with his mind so scattered. He took off; teleporting before he'd even left the throne room.
The human world came into view, Sarah was in her parents room. Just beyond his reach behind French doors.
Jareth's claws scraped against the glass, and Sarah turned to stare at him in terror. Jareth nearly froze, but he couldn't, he had to get in there before the goblins... he could already see them scampering around the room, He needed to focus. Needed to spell those damn doors open.
Thunder.
The goblins were cheekily sticking their heads from corners to laugh at her before disappearing, they'd had plenty of time to plan what nasty fun they could have with her.
Thunder.
Jareth pulled back, tried to focus in the blaring cold with Sarah's terror filed eyes clouding his mind. The doors opened, he flew around Sarah once, hissing slightly to warn his minions to back off.
Then back by the door, he assumed his normal shape.
Slowly relaxing from her defensive position Sarah looked up at him."You're him aren't you, you're the Goblin King," Sarah gasped. Jareth couldn't help but smile. He was there, she was there, and he would never be just a part of her book again...
"I want my baby brother back, please, if it's all the same."
"What's said is said," Jareth said coolly, crossing his arms. It was an automated response, something he'd said to dozens of others. He couldn't understand this; he couldn't pull up the suave and dashing that had come to him at the dance.
He was on automatic pilot, a cold figure. Her voice trembled, he wanted to hold her, but could not. Her plea for her brother broke his heart, but it was the goblins she had wished Toby to, not him specifically, he could not. Though she was on the verge of tears, he could not tell whether they were for Toby or for herself. She was frightened, and it was all too natural, for him, to be terrifying.
He summoned the crystal; it felt so much like the last time... just a touch and he would have her dreams, and her crystal could sit on his shelf. "It's not that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me-" She didn't even understand what he was offering, what potential horrors he had saved her from by coming himself.
"Sarah." The authority in his voice rang clear, but a snake coiled around his glove for effect. "Don't defy me."
Jareth could feel the twitch of his leg as he refused to let it himself reach for her as the snake threatened to coil around her neck. He turned it to a handkerchief and it fell to the floor and the hands of a snickering goblin.
"You're no match for me Sarah," Jareth said with a smile. Keep her away, a voice seemed to ring in his head, push her away.
Still she pleaded.
Jareth stepped aside, summoned a portal that would lead her into his labyrinth. He followed her, fighting back the feeling of nausea that swept over him as the world slipped away beneath his feet. Sarah, like most, seemed not to notice. It was only Jareth who would get sick from such a simple thing.
"Is that the castle beyond the goblin city?" Sarah asked.
Somewhere inside of himself Jareth felt a squirm of fear. Chase her away, she must fail. "Turn back before it's too late."
She was young, and her youth alone would not be enough, the Labyrinth brought growth and change to all who entered it. It will crush her.
Jareth stepped closer, waves of nausea were hitting him. He played with the idea of holding her. Push her away. He settled with whispering in her ear. He was close enough to feel the strands of her hair tickle his face in the breeze, and he had to push away.
He stepped back, the queasiness worsening. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us... forever." He faded, using a gradual teleport to keep down the nausea until he was out of sight. He looked down at his clothes, "Such a pity." The bile climbed up his throat.
Jareth left his personal bathroom, with a terrible taste in his mouth and rather unpleasant stain on his clothing. However having an on-suite was excellent for avoiding detection of his little, dilemma.
It was a pity, he really liked that outfit. It was set aside to be cleaned, which was a rather rare thing to be done in the kingdom by anyone except him. Mostly the dirty brown pigment that goblin had to their skin was not their natural color. Jareth preferred to be clean, which was why he insisted on having the room with an on-suite as his master bedroom.
He pulled something comfortable out of his closet, a white shirt with cuffs that looked like snowflakes and absolutely no neckline to speak of with the exception that he made one with the loose cloth when he pulled a black vest over it. Grey leggings were tucked into black boots. He pulled his favourite leather jacket over it and he made his way down to the throne room.
Had to keep on his toes; the goblins had been left alone with Toby after all.
There was, of course, anarchy. In the middle of it was a red striped pyjama wearing infant crying. He didn't seem to be in any trouble, the goblins seem satisfied with his loud crying. They had decided that the child did not need more torturing.
Jareth leaned over the crying boy and the group of goblins that surrounded him. "I want the boy intact," Jareth instructed coldly. Most goblins didn't share Jareth's opinions on anything, cleanliness, torturing methods, and definitely not children. He was prone to letting his horde have their way, but not today.
Jareth stretched out in his armchair. The goblins raved about their latest guest; Sarah was practically a popular figurehead for them right now. Albeit a goblin 'fad' could last for as short as two days, Jareth could already see the poorly made Sarah Williams merchandise that had been created. He wouldn't have been surprised if every goblin in the labyrinth knew who she was. Logically he shouldn't have sent his goblins to spy on her. However if Sarah had wished Toby away while his goblins were not under orders the boy would have been replaced with a goblin double.
Toby was still crying, he couldn't stand it, and the little fellow would wear away his voice eventually. Jareth couldn't have that, so he stalked towards the kitchen. He rarely had to care for a baby for thirteen hours, but he'd done it before with minimal fuss. Heck he'd taken care of one young miss for three days. It would be easier to just turn Toby into a goblin and let the little scamp take care of himself, but he could not turn down those who wanted to run his labyrinth.
Jareth also knew he couldn't trust his goblin cook. He brewed the formula himself, with two crystals floating on either side. To the left was Toby, to make sure the goblins didn't have any stupid ideas. To the right, Sarah, still running the endless corridor and trying to decipher what cryptic clues had been given to her.
The crystals disappeared and Jareth walked with the bottle back to the throne room, where Toby still cried, and hoisted him from the group of goblins that surrounded him. "Are you hungry, little chap?" Despite the offering, the bottle of formula was rejected.
Jareth rocked Toby doubtfully, he knew what cries for attention were most of all.
"I bet your tired," Jareth said after a moment and he waved his hand over Toby to induce a sleep, it was magical however, so Toby would sleep for about an hour, wake up refreshed, and thusly be tired enough to sleep the night when he was returned home. Returned home, that was a strange thought. Jareth felt the need to contemplate it; he laid Toby down in his throne and wrapped his jacket around the boy.
"If he gets hurt, every one of you, is getting a dunk in the bog of eternal stench." Jareth warned as his tower called. His crystals summoned back to him as he climbed through the Escher room until he reached the solitude of the tower, not that any goblin dared to walk into the Escher room to begin with.
However as he opened the door to the tower, there was a dark hollow feeling inside of him. He proceeded to the chair in the centre of the room; he needed to make a decision. It was probably the most important thing he had to think about in a few hundred years.
Why had he behaved so coldly towards Sarah? He was certain he'd been much more charming at her school dance... And what did he want the outcome of the labyrinth to be?
Jareth loved Sarah, or so he thought. Was it the goblins that he was putting on an act for? Mostly around them he just did whatever he wanted.
Then, there was the Labyrinth, it was the only logical way for Sarah to find out about his existence, but he didn't like it. So then, what end did he want to lead her to...? Toby was a sweet little chap, but Jareth wanted him home. He could simply have Sarah lose and take Toby place, she would stay forever...
Toby had woken up and was already starting to cry.
Jareth returned to the throne room, and checked on the boy. "Come on, what's wrong?" he asked Toby. The boy wasn't hungry, he didn't need to be changed, and he didn't want to play. He was placed back in the centre of the room, for the goblins to fascinate themselves with his crying.
He began to tap his riding crop on his boots. Why his boots? He seemed to stare at his boots whenever he didn't have the answers to his own questions. As if his boots knew the answer, Jareth scoffed. A peek in his crystal revealed Sarah to have gotten out of the endless corridor. Jareth tried to stop himself from staring at his boots, as he held his chin in thought, and his eyes went to the clock. Over three and a half hours had passed since Sarah had entered the Labyrinth.
Toby continued to cry... Jareth looked towards him and realized from the anguish on the little boy's face. He was in pain.
Jareth spread his magic throughout the room. It function was twofold; first it played music to occupy the goblins, who join Jareth for a rowdy and entertaining song. Secondly it healed Toby. Soon the baby had a pleasant smile and was dancing and laughing along with the goblins.
Liquor was dispersed. Jareth threw Toby playfully into the air. Then he settled into his chair and placed Toby at the foot of his throne. A crystal ball summoned to Jareth's hand and he very quickly switched to being hunched over at the very edge of his seat. The gobbling knew that look, soon he had a very large surrounding, all the goblins circled him, some going so far as to hang themselves over the edge of his throne to get a better look. The images he was faced with were most troublesome.
No, she shouldn't be there. Fight her. Push her back.
"She's in the oubliette."