Chapter 10: Tonight Will Be the Night…
Jareth sat miserably in his room; sure that Sarah was already long on her way into the labyrinth, running back to him. He covered his eyes, misery coursing through him but he wouldn't cry. Instead, he pulled up behind his eyelids the bittersweet memory of Sarah, from earlier that morning, his eyes almost watery while he reminisced.
She sat on her bed, leaning forward on her hands as she watched him, her foot in his lap. He smiled, upset but always loving her smile, especially when it was for him. Carefully, his fingers held her ankle as he unwrapped the bandages wound around her foot. "It should be all better now. Can you walk alright?" She pulled her foot away, jumping up and watching her feet excitedly as she moved around.
"It's all better!" she exclaimed as he stood slowly, watching her. Bursting forward, she threw her arms around his waist for one brief second before she released him and ran out.
Without a word.
A single tear slid down his face as he, again, watched her midnight hair fly around the door and he brushed it away angrily, forcing the memory away before walking over to his bed, sinking into the covers and letting a heartbroken sleep cradle his mind.
Meanwhile, Sarah ran through the Goblin City, so excited over her foot that she was spending another day with Hoggle, the two of them making a voyage to visit Didymus and Ambrosious, and maybe even Ludo.
For nearly an hour, the two of them picked their way through the forest. "Didymus!" she sang, nearing his tree. Ambrosious rushed out to greet her, with Didymus close behind him. Kneeling, she gave him a tight hug, scratching Ambrosious on the head as she did so. "It's so great to see--!" she exclaimed, cut off as Ludo came to say hello, picking her up from behind in a bear hug.
"Saaa—rraaah!"
"Ludo!" She spun around as he put her town and hugged him, rubbing her hand over his head. "It's so good to be able to walk, to see all of you!" She fell back down on her feet, dusting her loose tights of the glitter that had fallen off of him as he hugged her, a nuisance that covered the entire labyrinth world outside of the castle.
"Milady, would you be getting hungry?" Didymus asked her, tapping her arm gently with his cane.
She looked down at her stomach, rubbing it gently. "I am, a bit."
"Ludo want FOOD!" He roared, not so much menacingly as just loud.
Didymus ushered them all forward, opening a door to what seemed an underground home. "Come along!"
Sarah bent over, her hair sliding over her shoulder as she ducked into the small entrance, shocked that Ludo ever made his way through and followed Didymus to what was actually a quite spacious underground room, a quaint wooden table in the middle to sit around. "I'll fetch some tea!" He announced, bustling around as his guests found places at the little round table.
Ludo pulled a chair out as gently as he could with his enormous hands, sitting down carefully and looking even more immense as he tried to squeeze his knees underneath the less-than-human-sized table.
Finally, Didymus pushed teacups in front of them and filled them, seating himself in the last remaining seat as Ambrosious paced around, eventually collapsing in a heap near Hoggle and watching him intently for any possible scraps he would surrender. Eventually, the small talk began and everyone was quickly involved with talking and having fun once more. As the lights began to dim from the entrance, Sarah glanced up. "I suppose I should go soon, there's probably only an hour of light left."
Didymus glanced up, "I'll be with you to the door, milady." Ambrosious wagged his shaggy tail as she gave him a quick belly-scratch good-bye, and Hoggle pushed his seat back to stand as well.
"May as well go back now, don't want you getting lost or anything." He said gruffly, scurrying towards her. It was obvious he still had a bit of a crush on the girl, but he was getting over it.
Just as she neared the exit, Didymus called out to her. "Could I visit, milady? That is, now that Sir Toby knows of us?"
Sarah paused, turned fully around. "Visit?"
He stumbled over the words slightly. "When…when you go back…there. Can we visit from now on, that the boy knows?"
She swallowed, having nearly forgotten that was why she waiting for her foot to heal. The past few days she had spent with Jareth, she wouldn't deny anymore, they were wonderful and, she hadn't even remembered that she was supposed to be staying here forever. "I," she started to say. But she could stay. "I'll make sure to call on you whatever may happen."
Returning to the castle, Sarah walked through the halls almost nervously. Everything seemed so empty. She found herself looking carefully around the corners, the eerie silence disturbing her until she reached her room. When she pushed the door open, she saw her enormous, soft bed and her exhaustion pressed its way into her mind. Looking at the pillows, she collapsed onto the bed, curling underneath the comforter and slipping peacefully into a nap.
When she finally awoke, the red sky had turned to a dusky purple, the ethereal twilight casting strange lights around her room as her stomach began to grumble ever so slightly. "Oh," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, "dinner. I guess I forgot to eat much before." She neared the door, her fingertips less than an inch from the golden handle when suddenly she stopped, turned to look at the wardrobe set against the wall.
Something in it was calling to her, as if she should dress for dinner. She wasn't sure why, but she felt she should. There was something special about tonight. Shaking her head, she made for the door again before turning around and walking up to the wardrobe, throwing open the doors and frowning slightly at the selection of gowns before her. They were all grand, fabulous colors and with intricate designs sewn on them each. Her fingers traced over the different fabrics before she finally found a perfect scarlet.
Its slim arms clung to her, hanging off of her shoulder and reaching just short of her elbows, her bust slightly exposed with the cut of the shirt. The waist was tight, seemingly boned but she could feel her skin as her hands smoothed her wrist, and a lace pattern was sewn over the whole top half, a slight fringe at her elbows. The skirt, like silk, only more….she couldn't think of a word. Magical, would be the only way to describe it, hung, bloody but not so much frightening as entrancing from just above her hips and she found a dainty pair of red satin slippers inside to match it, pulling her hair back with a ribbon so that curls fell over her shoulders before she finally stopped before the mirror.
Smoothing the dress carefully with her hands, her eyes ran over her reflection and she was shocked. It was as if she was a different girl, she had never seen herself so beautiful. Stepping towards the door, she paused, turned back to the new girl in the mirror and looked over the way she had chosen so carefully something and knew suddenly it was to make him happen. Not so much shocked, but more finally acknowledging it, she whispered, the tips of her fingers covering her lips, "I'm falling for him."
She stared at the slightly vampiric beauty that watched her from the glass before turning, hurrying away before she could think of it again. Heading down the hallway, she made her way to the dining hall, pressing the door open to look in the empty room. Once she entered, the cluster of goblins jumped about, a few rushing to bring steaming plates of food out to her, others plainly disappearing from sight as she walked cautiously towards the empty table, alone in the enormous room.
"Master!" A goblin burst into the room, swinging the door open, and Jareth stayed in his collapsed position on the bed. Slightly aggravated, but more of a cover from being heartbroken, he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, not looking up.
"What is it?" He sighed.
"Dinner is ready, we've brought out dis-" It scrambled over words, but Jareth cut it off.
"I have no will to eat, dispose of it as you please."
"But sire!" He spoke quickly, not to be cut off again. "She waits for you!"
Jareth sat up quickly. "She?" He was looking at the goblin but really trying to convince himself. "There's no way," he whispered, standing up and spinning a crystal in his hand. Sure enough, there she sat, more beautiful than ever in a passionate red gown. In an instant he changed into a black outfit that would match her gown perfectly, a velvety coat hung over him, softer than midnight and a deep grey, like wispy clouds at night was his matching shirt as he hurried out of the room, lest he keep her waiting.
Rounding the final corner, he entered the room gracefully, coming to sit next to her. "You look dazzling," he promised her, too eager to apologize first, but was able to as soon as he assured her of how amazing she looked. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here on time I was…preoccupied."
She smiled widely at him, her hand touching his gloved one. "Its fine," she promised, "I've only been here for but a few minutes." She began to cut at her food, trying her best to do so properly as the two dined, Jareth never able to take his eyes off of her as they talked, an uncomfortable sort of air in the room that neither took much notice of, the air from the massive amount of goblins that were creeping through to watch them. Finishing their meal, Sarah stood, nodded her head and walked away from the table, heading back to her own room.
Jareth, somehow contented with having dinner with her, walked back to his own room, returning to sit in his chair happily as he reflected on his dinner with Sarah and her shining smile. Nearly reaching her own room, Sarah turned around and began to hurry determinedly towards Jareth's.
As she reached it, she nearly slammed the door open, almost shouting at him in her semi-insulted rage. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" The door banged against the stone wall as she finished her exclamation, standing expectantly as she awaited his answer.
He stuttered slightly, sitting straighter, a bit shocked at her suddenness. "What are you talking about?"
She brought her hands up angrily, fighting with herself in a way, as she carried on, not so much looking at him as she walked a bit, sometimes staring him in the eyes as she carried on. "I come back to this castle and get into this dress I can barely breathe in, I'm quiet and try to do everything I can to learn a goddamn thing about you and when it's all over you get up and walk away!? What is going on here?" She finally paused, seeing herself in the mirror again and an entirely new shock coming over herself.
The girl, wearing the same clothing, for sure, that stood in the mirror was an entirely new girl again. Sarah crept closer to it, her fingers gently touching her face, her neck, her shoulders, and the girl in the mirror did them with her. It had to be her, there was no other option but she looked so…extraordinary. Her eyes weren't a simple green but a brilliant emerald that sparkled from her white face. Her hair, still soft, was an amazing midnight black, with one hundred shades in it and she was so…delicate. "What's this?"
Jareth stepped forward, directly behind her so that his face appeared beside hers in the mirror. "Do you like it?" He whispered into her ear. "It's a special sort of mirror, I'm sure you can see that. It shows you how the person that loves you sees you." She stepped closer to it, still mesmerized with her reflection and Jareth could glimpse an attractiveness about his own reflection over her shoulder and felt a fleeting hope inside of him that she was realizing her own affections, in return, before she whirled on him.
"Don't distract me!" She spun so she couldn't see the mirror and started to advance on him, stopped as she nearly collided with him. "You wait here six years for me to return and now you can't even give me one goddamn kiss when I try my hardest to do everything the way you saw it in your stupid little vision of me living with you!" She paused a minute, taking in air and he didn't say anything. She started to calm herself down, growing a little embarrassed with her outburst and she turned to walk towards the door as he finally awoke, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him, reaching his arms around her to hold her against himself and kissed her.
Note: Ohkay, I guess that's good for now. I'll send in the next chapter tomorrow, you have my word on it.