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Negotiations

The Goblin King lounged on his chair in thoughtful silence amongst the ruckus of his goblins that played and yelled in the sun drenched throne room, and it was on this scene that Sarah walked in. The goblins gave her brief glances before turning back to pints of ale and chickens—things of much more interest. The king, however, remained pensive as his riding crop tapped in a steady rhythm against his booted foot.

The young woman blew a stray strand of brunette hair out of her eye and proceeded to navigate the maze of scattered subjects and chickens to the throne on the other side. She stopped a few feet short of the throne and stood and waited.

"After the occurrence last night," he began, his eyes still focused on the distance, "I see no better alternative than to increase the effort of returning you to the Aboveground. Or, at the very least see you safely secured away out of harm's way. I'm sure your friends would be willing to—"

"No way!" Sarah interrupted as she felt her anger building at his words. "I thought you were going to let me in the discussions to help plan, so that I could do something. I refuse to sit back waiting to be taken back while you might die in the process!"

"Barely a week ago the idea of leaving me to my demise would have suited you if it meant your safe return home."

The brunette flinched at the truth that struck her. "But, but," she floundered, "But! I still admitted that I might have to help you defeat Orgath to get home!"

"To get home," he repeated mercilessly. "Selfish offers by a selfish girl. A girl who could barely stand on her own as she flailed through her life in attempt of finding something right. So tell me," he asked as he stood and stepped close to her, his body brushing against hers as his neck craned down to look in her eyes, "why the sudden change of heart?"

The young woman felt her mouth go dry as she racked her brains for an answer. She didn't know.

"Precisely, dear Sarah. How could I accept help from someone who does not even know their true feelings? You would only be injured. I admire your dedication and desire, but those attributes will have you killed if I let you join me. This is not your war."

"Yes it is! I caused it!"

"No, Sarah, you did not. I did. I caused it based on my reactions to an answer you gave. This is a war against myself. I will not drag you any further than needed into it."

"But, you agreed to me helping you." She couldn't prevent the whine that escaped her lips as she fell back into her old routines.

A light smirk tugged at his lips as a cool glove hand lifted and gently stroked her cheek. "I assure you, dear Sarah, that having you safe is more help than you could imagine."

Sarah struck at his hand, shoving it away from her face as she struggled to calm her fluttering heart. She was angry, and she wouldn't let him dissuade her. "Maybe you think I'm content with thinking that's help, but I'm not a child anymore, Jareth."

"Yes, I am well aware of that fact."

"Good. Then you can understand that I am rejecting your idea as the most ridiculous thing that occurred in a moment of stupidity."

His thin lips pursed together until near nothing of their presence was shown. "Return to my room. This discussion has ended. Your friends will be here by the end of the day. Prepare yourself in any way you see fit."

"No," she said simply as she straightened her shoulders.

He took one more step, his body arching against hers. "Sarah," he warned.

She took a deep breath and turned on her heel. "This is not over," she stated as she made her way back to his room. He had promised her help; she would find a way to help that wasn't sitting around waiting for him to die.

Wiping the tears from her face, she stepped into his room and shut the door behind her. Closing her eyes, the young woman pressed her back firmly against it, relishing in the support.

"It seems as if Sarah has been crying. What could possible make such a precious thing cry? Surely it was not my weaker half?" came a familiar voice.

Green orbs shot open and darted to the chair that had been occupied with Jareth the night before but now held the black form of Orgath. She stumbled away from him, clutching onto the wall as fear began to drizzle into her heart.

"How did you get in here?" she choked out.

"Jareth cannot protect his castle from himself. He seems not to realize that to ban me from an area, he must also ban himself," came the even answer.

A question fell from the tip of her tongue as a realization began to pull together. "Are-are you also the Goblin King? I mean, since you're the same person—"

"What do you believe, precious?"

"You—you can't be but—you're still him. You are still king, and this is still your Labyrinth. At the edge, it wasn't just destruction—it was you. You giving the Labyrinth—"

"My personal touch," he finished. "Yes. I have suffered on the edge of my Labyrinth for too long. I now wish to reclaim it all, and my prize."

"Your—your prize?" Sarah squeaked out.

"Yes. You my dear. I will have you whether it be once this Labyrinth falls to me—which it will, have no doubt in that fact—and I snatch you from the dissipating form of Jareth or whether it be right here and now, you perfectly willing."

"I will never go to you willingly."

"You would go to Jareth willingly. Are we not the same?" he inquired.

"No, you may be two sides of the same coin, but that does not make you the same," she countered.

"Alright," he smiled, his white teeth flashing amongst the shadows. "How about a compromise? Just let me rule you, and I will seize my reclamation of my Labyrinth. And as an added incentive," he trailed off as he snapped his fingers.

A moan of pain and fear pushed from Sarah's lips as her body erupted into chills of terror. Her panicked eyes shifted from the sneering face of Orgath to herself. The skin she could see was swirling black. The dark tendrils inked across her flesh, drawing patterns that soon sunk back into her skin as the tendril passed. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as the utter fear encased her. Her body twisted and pulled in contortion as an aching pain stabbed at her. Her limbs weakened as the energy was slowly drained from them, and she crumpled to the floor.

"What," she panted out through clenched teeth, "what did you do to me?"

"It hurts doesn't it? The anger, the sadness, the betrayal." The shadowed figured slinked from the chair and knelt by her collapsed form. "I understand the loneliness that comes, and I can heal it."

Slick lips slid across hers and despite how much she longed to be disgusted, the touch soothed her heart. The fear slowly began to recede from her limbs until it collected into a dark—but manageable—puddle over her heart. A great rush of oxygen dove into her lungs as his lips left hers, and she sat up and stared at those eyes so familiar but vastly different.

"Shadows," he explained, coolly factual. "Yours and mine. Without my control of them they will freely flow through your bloodstream, and all that fear, all that anger," he began to hiss, "all that pain will slowly drive you insane until it will consume your life."

"Why?"

"I'm simply giving you a taste of what you put me through, precious."

A gloved hand snaked into her hair and twisted her head back. He pulled her to her feet with a yelp and dragged her to the mirror that sat near the washbasin and water pitcher. As they stopped in front of it, his other hand clutched onto the neck of her shirt and pulled it down to expose and inky blotch that swirled above her heart.

"It will not stay forever. Slowly, it will ease its way back into your bloodstream. By the end of thirteen hours, you will no longer be able to grasp the concept of happiness. But," he drawled, "if you accept my offer, it will stop, and your dear Jareth will get his Labyrinth which will please him and you. You will keep your sanity and remain Underground as you desire as well, and I will win my prize. We all end this game on happy terms."

His fingers curled tighter in her hair as he arched her neck further back until it rested on his shoulder. "You will have until those thirteen hours end to make your decision. Inform Jareth of it if you wish. Remember I offer this out of my generosity, but I can be cruel if you refuse to cooperate.

"I know how you desire to help. I know how he cruelly is refusing such a simple desire. I am offering you the chance in his stead."

His gloved hand released her shirt, and it slowly traced its way down to her hip.

"Thirteen hours," he whispered hotly into her ear before he disappeared into a cloak of blackness.

Sarah burst into the throne room, the large doors clanging open—the ringing sending dozens of goblins and chickens into a flurry. Her chest heaved as she searched for him. She spotted his lithe form draped casually over his chair as he spoke to three goblins, each adorned with various scrapes of metal and cloth.

"We must abandon the outer borders, Kingy," one grunted out. "We will be slaughtered if we continue. I suggest that we focus our forces on the city—"

"What about the inhabitants there? Will we just abandon them? I cannot agree to such action, Kingy," another one gargled.

The "Kingy" in questioned buried his head in a gloved hand as he rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Jareth," she choked out.

Cold eyes glinted towards her. His leg swung from the arm rest as he sat up tall. The semi-circle of goblins stuttered to a close as they followed the gaze of their king.

"You shall address me with due respect, Sarah," he coolly said with an arched eyebrow.

The brunette gaped at him. What the hell?

As if reading her mind, he continued, "Even if you do not respect my opinions and care to dismiss my orders, you may at the very least respect my position."

She snapped her mouth shut and swallowed down the fear that was started to expand from her heart. "Thirteen hours,"rang in her head. Thirteen hours until it over took her. Controlling her panicked breathing, she said bitingly, "Goblin King, I came to inform you of a negotiation."

"I am not interested on arguing my order."

"No! I mean with Orgath."

"I believe I already informed you that you will not be dragged into this," he let out sternly.

"I already am!" she cried out as she clutched the neck of her shirt and pulled it down.

Mismatched eyes and goblin eyes darted to the side in refusal to look at her. "Please, Sarah, return your shirt to its proper place."

"Shit, Jareth, really? Forget your gentlemanly ideals and look at me!" she demanded.

Slowly his eyes turned to her and widen as they landed on the black stain on her creamy chest. A growl rose in his chest as he turned away from her. "Further proof of why I can't let you aid me," he said without looking at her. "Please, Sarah, return to my room and allow me to take care of things."

Sarah huffed, tears pricking her eyes. "Goddammit, Jareth! Forget your damn pride for two seconds! Perhaps you think you're doing the noble thing, but you're making yourself a scared coward! I can help! I need to help!"

"I am not the only one who needs to recheck my pride."

Letting the comment roll off her and ignoring the flicker of truth, she yelled as a last resort, "You're going to get both of us killed! Oh wait—no—you'll get absorbed and become at best a pesky thought in someone's subconscious while I will die—or maybe mercifully just go insane. You'll finally get that revenge now, huh?"

"Sarah!" he roared as his spun to face her, his eyes burning . "I will not allow you to die here. Now, please," he said in a shattered voice, "return to my room."

"But I…" she choked out as her vision began to swim.

"Not now. If you are willing to be negotiable, I will speak with you later. Please, leave me with my generals."

The brunette bit her lip as she dashed from the room, fighting off the tears that streamed from her eyes and burned trails down her cheeks. There wouldn't be a later. She had made her decision. Maybe she was doing it out of spite. Maybe she was being proud. Maybe she was trying to be the hero. But he had done so much, and she had an opportunity to help him—and save herself. Maybe it was a selfish decision, but she had made it. I just wish I could have shared it with him, she thought as she burst through the door into his room. There was no point in wasting time.