** Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth, Sarah, Jareth, or other recognizable events/characters therein; they are the property of the late Jim Henson and his estate, Brian Froud, and or the distribution companies whom hold legal rights to this property. The only things I can claim are my original characters, additions to the world, and new events **
Sarah wasn't sure what to make of this castle, because it was nothing like the one that had appeared so often to her in her dreams. These halls were darkened, the tapestries aligned along the wall were not ripped or destroyed. There seemed to be a larger sense of foreboding here but at the same time the entire space seemed to sigh in relief as she walked. Sarah shook her head quickly.
Buildings can't sigh. And walls don't know what relief is. Her thoughts were quick to soothe, but in the back of her mind she still pondered. If this was part of the Labyrinth, something of which she was almost certain, then couldn't it also be alive in the same way? She shuddered to think about it.
Misreading the shudder of the human, Nissa piped up in an attempt to break the now uncomfortable silence between the two walking women. "Ye'll get used to the air here, Miss. Tis drafty but not wholly uncomfortable, just a Spring chill. More howl than bite."
"The air is fine, thank you." Sarah replied gently, almost smiling at the use of such an… well, such an Overworld idiom. Nissa nodded in silence to the human Queen. "I am just not used to this place, and it feels… wrong."
"Likely to be, Miss. Probably coppers to a sweet roll that ye've even seen the likes of a place like this. Never been to the Overworld myself but from what me Mam taught 'twas not a place for magic folk." Nissa cursed inwardly at how lowborn she sounded, her accent coming out around the human Queen naturally. She was comfortable around the girl, and that was something likely to cause trouble in the future. Steeling herself, she continued carefully. "I'm sure you'll find yourself used to it soon enough. The Night grows on even the staunchest of Fae."
"The Night?" Sarah's voice dripped with unhidden curiosity, she was overloaded and trying to take everything in. Thus far she'd seen three goblins who'd been cleaning the floors bow into the soapy water as they passed, whispering amongst themselves. There had also been four or five other creatures that had both eyed her curiously while making a quick retreat as she came close.
"Best way to describe it, Miss." Nissa explained as they took another corner- it wasn't much further to the morning room where the King had requested to meet his Bride. "The sun holds no power here in the Below. The Overworld's moon serves as our sun and moon in one- the light changes as the wheel of time turns."
"I could have sworn there was a sun…" Sarah whispered to herself. Nissa caught the barest edge of the sentence but opted to remain silent. As the pair approached a rather ornate doorway, not unlike the rest of the ornate doors that Sarah had noticed in the halls, Nissa came to a stop and looked at the girl.
"His Highness is within; he requested breakfast and privacy for the rest of the morn into the midday." Nissa held her hand out and handed Sarah a small blackened bell. It looked like aged or burned silver. "Ring this to summon me in your need; I'm here to serve." She gave a proper courtesy before leaving Sarah at the door alone.
Go in. It's only Jareth- you know Jareth. You've beaten him at his own game once, do it again. Sarah's thoughts were racing as fast and hard as her heart beat within her chest. Her hand was outstretched to the handle of the door, but she couldn't seem to grasp it. Her hand wouldn't move, her body refusing any order she gave it. Stop it! You can win. He has no power over you. Remember that. No. Power.
She was ultimately left without a choice or need to act, however, as the door swung inward seemingly of its own accord. Jareth sat within her sight in the room, his smile pleasant and surprisingly devoid of any traceable amounts of animosity or devious machinations.
"Good morning, Sarah." Jareth's smile seemed to get even wider. "Nice of you to join me for breakfast today. Do come in, love." He gestured her forward, and Sarah found herself complying with halted steps. She wasn't being pulled, that she knew. The steps were her own- she just found herself swimming in a mixture of fear and awe at the sight of Jareth again. "I had the cooks arrange a veritable feast for you, darling, as I wasn't sure what you would wish to eat. If memory serves me correctly, and it usually does, mortals are always famished when they travel between the Realms."
"I am hungry," Sarah worried her lower lip for a moment. The room smelled delicious as the food steamed on platters made from what looked like gold, silver, and a black metal she couldn't distinguish. She moved as gracefully as she could to the second chair at the table, her hand coming to rest on its back. "But at the same time, I remember what happened the last time I ate food here."
"Such lack of trust," Jareth tutted, the clicking of his tongue brought a shiver down Sarah's spine- she did her best to ignore it. "I can assure you with no guilt to my conscience that nothing shall befall you from the food offered." He reached forward and filled a silver goblet with a dark colored liquid, setting it before Sarah as she lowered herself into the chair. He filled a second one for himself as he continued to speak. "You are here as my Bride. You are not a Labyrinth Runner- you did not wish away a child that you must now fight to win back. Though I'm sure you could still find your way through if you truly wanted to- perhaps we can reminisce later about that…"
"I'd rather not." Sarah interrupted before Jareth could continue down that line of thinking. She looked at the cup and empty plate. She was so hungry. And Murtagh had merely mentioned fruit, right? So the meats, pastries, and what looked to be eggs were safe… She hoped. Reaching to gently grab what looked like a turnover, Sarah spoke again in what she hoped was an even tone. "And I hardly think a guest would have been put under enchantments and brought here under false pretenses, but I could be wrong."
"Your words ever sharp, they cut like knives against my skin." Jareth playfully mocked, his eyes alight as Sarah took a bite of the pastry she'd picked up. It had been a turnover- one filled with spices, sausage, eggs, and cheese. The look of pure contentment on her face as she chewed stirred at his heart. "I see that your wit and tongue have not dulled with age."
"Barely six years isn't much age, is it? If my memory of Fae serves correctly you're well into a few centuries." She took another bite of the turnover, it was the most delicious thing she'd eaten in a long time.
"It may not be a long time for me, no. But for you and the rest of mortal kind… six years could seem like an unending eternity, could it not?" Jareth grabbed his own food, opting to eat now that his Bride had done so. He had worried about that- Sarah was ever so resistant and rebellious. A hunger strike seemed right up her alley. Or, he supposed, it would have been when she'd been but a child. "I would ask you to speak so that I could hear your sweet voice again- but I shall wait. The amount of questions swirling in your eyes forewarns me that to open those gates would mean a lengthy and cold breakfast before you finished. For now, if you don't mind, I would ask only to be allowed to indulge in pleasantries. I find myself craving it."
"I don't remember your way of talking always being so flowery." Sarah replied offhandedly, taking a sip of what she immediately found to be pomegranate juice. She watched him for a reaction and was mildly disappointed to find none- he seemed unreadable. "Then again, I don't clearly remember much. But," she sighed slightly, having run out of air, and continued; "you did ask so nicely, and this is a beautiful breakfast. I won't spoil it with my questions, provided you don't spoil it with your own."
"Clever, Sarah. How did you know I would have my own questions?" Jareth's laugh was almost musical, nothing like the mocking tones she'd come to remember in her mind. Had her memories been wrong? Was this how he'd been before? Or was he flattering her now, hiding some malevolent endgame?
"Not hard to guess," Sarah shrugged with an offhanded look to the table again. She was having a hard time deciding what to try next. "Fae are always curious about things, according to myth and legend. Hard to be able to offer the right price to their targets without knowing them."
"And do you feel like a target, Sarah?" The Fae King eyed the girl closely, watching her every twitch. To his great surprise, she cracked a wide smile and laughed.
"I'm a human among who knows what kinds of Fae… I couldn't be a bigger target if I was literally wearing one." Sarah laughed so hard that she nearly broke into a fit of childish giggles. As it subsided, she looked back at the man before her. "Whether or not that's a bad thing I haven't decided yet. But I'm sure we'll talk about that later, yes?"
"Of course, my lady." Jareth bowed his head and sipped at his own cup. "I wouldn't dream of withholding from my Queen."
Sarah bristled a little at the term, but kept her mouth shut for the moment. And so, the meal continued that way; in a comfortable silence as the two ate, drank, and relentlessly watched each other. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, neither was it a dangerous silence. Merely two forces sizing the other up in preparation. For what, though, neither seemed to know. Instead, the silence continued, unchanged and unbroken, until both had finished eating.
Sarah finished her meal with a nice piece of toast and butter. The bread tasted oddly sweet but not in a revolting way- and it was as fluffy as a cloud inside the crusty warm outer layer. She smiled in contentment from a full stomach and made doubly sure to check that nothing she'd eaten had fruits in it. The drink was a fruit juice, but Sarah hoped drinking differed from eating and wouldn't count if it was the fruit of the Night King like Murtagh had talked about.
"So," She started with a soft voice. Sarah knew she didn't have much in the way of leverage or power- what little she'd taken before had been returned when she'd surrendered it to him. It broke Murtagh's spell but it also caused her to be helpless in a way she'd hoped to never be again.
"I am sure you have questions, Sarah, and I will happily provide what answers I can." Jareth's eyes were as bland as his face. He gave nothing away.
"What answers you can? Don't I deserve more than half truths or no answers at all." Sarah's eyebrows had shot up in an almost comical look of incredulity. She didn't want to think that Jareth would intentionally lie to her, but the thought still presented itself either way. "I would think that after being enchanted by someone claiming to be human all while dating and otherwise leading on a friend of mine and then having to dance for you- only to give up what power I had-"
"Relax, Sarah." Jareth held up a hand and spoke in an even but commanding tone. "You will not get half-truths from me- and I will answer all of your questions. I was merely suggesting that you may not understand the answers yet. Time, little dove. Time is something which you will have a lot of here."
"Couldn't you reorder time? Couldn't this all be over already, and both of us back to our respective paths in life?" Sarah wasn't being cruel with her words, but they stung Jareth like the blade of a knife either way.
"I cannot." And with that, Jareth broke his word nearly immediately. He could reorder time had it been something he wanted to do. The trouble for Sarah was, he just didn't want to do it. "But, I will give you as much time as you need this morning so, please, ask your questions. I will ask mine when you have sated your curiosity."
A/N:
Hello my darling readers. I know that I have been away for quite some time and I am sure that many of you have wondered whether or not this story, and my others, were going to be finished. Well- I can assure you that yes they are. I lost quite a bit of my work and research in a recent move to another state so I am having to recompile a lot of stuff to be able to continue this work in particular. I am sorry for such a soft chapter but the next one will have a lot of exposition and I didn't want to overload my fist chapter back in a while. Thank you all for being patient and I hope you enjoy!