Chapter XI
"Maybe…" God it pained him to even think it. "Maybe you should go back … to the Aboveground."
For some reason, Sarah felt panicked at the thought of leaving him. Despite his cruel tendencies, she was beginning to rely on him. Trust him even.
"No, I can't. I can't!"
Jareth approached her and trailed a cold finger down her cheek before running it across her bottom lip.
I know baby," he soothed. "I don't want to send you up there. Especially after what happened last time." He grimaced at the thought. "But I can't think of what else to do."
Sarah desperately racked her brain. She was smart, intuitive, resourceful. Yet she couldn't think of a single solution.
"I wont go."
That was her stubborn streak.
"What?" Jareth growled. There he was trying to think of the best thing to do in the situation, at his own personal cost too, and she's willing to sit back and let it slide. He was letting anger take a hold of him.
"No." He continued. "You will go. I've chosen you to rule with me and I will not endanger yourself and leave me with no queen. Especially if it's just to spite me."
Those words. Thirty simple words. Yet the passion at which they were spoken brought back all the pain from the first few days. He just saw her as a possession. To do with as he liked.
"Fine," she spat. "I'll go."
Jareth closed his eyes. They were the words he wanted to hear. The words he believed would protect her. But they pained him so much to hear.
"I'm glad you see it my way." he replied sarcastically. "Come, you must leave soon."
Sarah was worried. In her new immortalised state, visits to the Aboveground resulted in painful comas for her as of late.
"t will be fine," he was lying to reassure her. He had guessed the way her thoughts were going and needed to reassure her to get her to go. He had no idea why she became ill or if it would happen again. "As long as we ease you into the situation. You left rather suddenly last time."
"That wasn't my fault!" She stamped her foot and cried indignantly.
"Nevertheless, it's true."
Sarah glared at him. She didn't choose to leave with Deryck. The boy who was now roaming the Labyrinth as a goblin.
"Stay away from me." Tears filled her eyes, feelings of betrayal flooding her system. "How dare you? It was the magic of this … this place that took me to him. This place that made me immortal. It stole my life. For your greedy sake. And now, I'm being moved again. Tossed around like a toy. So just forget it. Stay away."
Tears were streaming down her face at this point while Jareth forced himself to keep his control. He went to take a step towards her. To comfort her in the only way he knew how.
But she took a step back and rasped out three words that ached him.
"I hate you."
"Sarah, don't …"
"No. You want me to go? Fine, I will. But without you. You don't want me. It doesn't matter because someone else does."
"Sarah … wait."
"I said stay. Away."
Jareth uselessly dropped him arm.
"You have no power over me. Not anymore. I know your tricks and they're just words. Smoke and Mirrors. You can't possess me anymore."
She backed out of the room, eyes never wavering from his own. They were full of steely resolve.
Her words had hurt him. Cut him worse then any blade ever could.
"Sarah," he whispered causing her to freeze. "At least let me take you to the Aboveground."
Let me protect you. He silently added.
Sarah bit her bottom lip in thought before nodding quickly.
The king nodded back in acknowledgement.
"Go pack then." He ushered her.
Sarah ran off to do as he said, his cold blue eyes burning a whole through her as she did so.
She had no idea where she had found the courage to stand up to him like that. But she had. She'd stood up to the Goblin King. And now it had drained her.
Packing exhaustedly, not paying attention to the gowns she was packing. Somewhere her sub-conscious, she knew that they wouldn't be suitable for day-to-day life as a normal teenager.
But as a queen …
The thought was as inviting as the bed, which was considerably so in that moment.
'Just rest. I'll just close my eyes before I leave this place for good.'
So when, a few minutes later, Jareth came in to take her home, he saw a small figure curled up protectively on the bed.
And he let her sleep.
Let her have some peace.
The calm before the storm.