A King's Curse


A/N: So close to the end... there's only two more chapters guys. I'd kinda like it if I was getting more reviews, but whatever, you're entitled to do what you like.

I don't really need to say anything, so read, review, and enjoy.


Chapter Twelve - Festering Wounds

There were plans to be made, schemes to be put through. Jareth sat at the junction disguised as what looked something between a goblin, a pirate and a hobo. In the distance he could hear the echo of the false alarms. Hoggle had failed him; Sarah was now wandering the labyrinth instead of returning to the beginning. Based on the echoes of further false alarms, Sarah was headed his way.

It figured that miserable scab would be just as clueless as a goblin as he was when he was human. Jareth called his ball, it rolled to him from the direction of the oubliette. I also beckoned around the corner a particularly infuriating figure. The dwarf, Hoggle, Matt. He was leading Sarah. The crystal ball jumped into the mug Jareth held.

"What have we here?" Jareth asked in a sing-song voice that held back his anger.

This however was broken when Hoggle had the sheer audacity to answer, "Nothing."

Jareth fumed.

Hoggle was not supposed to be with Sarah. The dwarf shouldn't have been guiding her. He was given the honour of leading Sarah out of the labyrinth.

Jareth practically threw off his disguise with a malicious smile. "Hello Hedgewart," he smiled, he knew it wasn't the cretin's name. Corrections flew around the corridor, but it bothered Hoggle, which was the point.

Jareth spoke in a tone of sing-song accusations. This was not a good sign to anyone who knew him; it meant he was too mad to act mad. Usually it ended in pain for whomever Jareth used the tone upon. Hoggle took the most logical way out, and lied.

Jareth turned to Sarah's shocked expression for a moment.

Sarah. Hoggle was not worthy to stand in her presence. He was nothing but a blemish in the goblin kingdom. He was only in the goblin kingdom to keep him away from Sarah in the first place. Hoggle was going to do the same thing he had when he was human. Rip her heart to shreds.

Jareth supposed he should have just left the fool in an oubliette when he had the chance. Now that rat was around Sarah.

Jareth noticed, around Hoggle's wrist, Sarah's bracelet. A bribe? Not only was the insect not going to do his job, he was making Sarah pay for it. Logically there was a punishment to be exacted.

Threats of the bog popped up, those alone reduced Hoggle to a begging mass that clung to Jareth's leg. Disgusting. The bog was too good for the dwarf.

Jareth would push Hoggle around the labyrinth like the rat he was, with the cleaners as incentive. However, there was also Sarah.

The Goblin King kicked his piteous subject aside. He turned his attention to Sarah. The girl had to ask him for help or else she'd be running with that rat Hoggle.

Jareth leaned close, putting his arm against the wall over her shoulder. He could see her quickened breathing. "And you Sarah, how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

She searched his eyes, for a moment it seemed as though she noticed them, the eyes she had stared into deeply once before. She turned nervously and Jareth knew it wasn't the case. Searching for the right answer. Jareth needed only to drop his hand to her shoulder. He could reach her, touch her.

"It's a piece of cake," Sarah replied.

He had no choice. He could not help her unless she asked. He'd been given permission to take Toby, his magic could work freely on the boy, not on Sarah. Now she would have to run, like a rat.

Time was removed from her clock. If she would have to run, he didn't want her running too long, it was mercy the four hours he took away, of course she didn't know it and lashed out. Of course she would. She didn't realize that with a word, he would walk by her side for the journey through the labyrinth.

Jareth had one more ace. As he threw his crystal deep into the tunnel and summoned forth the monstrous machine that was the cleaners, he stepped past Sarah and Hoggle and stood in the doorway of the passage from which they came. If she were to escape that way it would right into his arms...

She ran, grasping Hoggle's hand to help the small man pick up his pace.

A deep sigh. Like rats. Jareth pulled out a crystal ball, he would control their path. Outrunning the cleaners would be easy, even with Hoggle's short legs. Jareth had closed off the side rooms with magical locks as he came down. There were also gates, magically locked, to slow down their running and keep the cleaners at their heels.

Sarah was defiant as ever, Jareth watched from a crystal as she abandoned the gate and beat against the side room passage. When the cleaner got too close... he dropped the lock on it and let Sarah and Hoggle fall through. He couldn't hurt her...

Jareth sighed, Hoggle got to walk Sarah through the labyrinth, not him. His chest panged with jealousy as he stood up and followed the path the cleaners had come from and walked back to the castle.

Jareth wanted to be like Sarah, just scream how unfair everything was to get out his stress. His troubles were far too serious to just have a tantrum about. He punched the wall before proceeding up the stairs that would lead him back into the throne room.

Toby played among the goblins. The boy was remarkably at home. If given the chance to grow the boy would have a remarkable amount of magic. His magic would grow with his dreams, and it already afflicted the goblins so much. Among the affected horde was Kaiaraki.

The cat goblin practically cooed with the small boy in her arms. "You're going to grow up such the scamp, aren't you?" Kaiaraki rocked the boy with such softness in her green eyes.

"You have news for me I suppose," Jareth resisted the urge to groan about his latest defeats in attempts to help Sarah. His throne cushioned his less than graceful flump.

"Oh, um, yes," Kaiaraki stammered, putting Toby down before digging a letter out of the folds of her dress. "Here is the latest letter from the G.D.H. Association."

"Took them long enough," Jareth groaned.

G.D.H. Association was just a glorified title for the garbage dump hags; a faction of goblins who lived within the dump. They were characterized by the potentially valuable possessions they collected on their backs. An agreement had been made in order to trap the boy named Matt.

The troupe was more so a business group than his subjects. Powerful illusionists, altogether they were bold enough to challenge the Goblin King in order to get their way. Doing a deal with them meant that he would receive a list of demands, usually three pages worth of stuff. It was mostly junk to begin with but it was smart to let the hags have their way.

Jareth tore open the letter, his eyes widened.

Just a single line. Only one request meant business. To defy them would almost be to declare war.

The note read: We want Sarah.

Jareth would have had to sit if he weren't already doing so. His hand came up shakily to cover his face.

Kaiaraki's voice called, but Jareth couldn't make it out. Actually all the sounds around her seemed to be fading away somehow. He stood slowly, not thinking. His tower, he needed to think, needed to be alone. Wandering the Escher room, not focussing on where he was going.

He stared at his feet, they knew the way. Yes, his stupid cocky shoes knew exactly what was going on. Prick boots, refused to share. Not having mouths probably helped them keep shut.

His feet stopped. Jareth opened the door without realizing. Stupid boots had taken him exactly where he wanted to go, just not where he expected to.

Sarah's room, the one he'd made for her. He put his hand up against what looked like straight cut honey colour wood posts. He felt the goblin craftsmanship beneath it though, black, rotting, warped. It was a beautiful metaphor, beautiful outside, and ugly inside, just like him. A reverse 'Beast'.

Jareth could still see the crease of her body among the folds. He could still picture her lying there. Gloves fell to the floor. Pale hands ever so delicately traced the folds that defined her form.

How could he protect her from the garbage hags? The dump almost completely surrounded the goblin city. Jareth's eyes fell to the magical peach he had conjured for her. The answer stared him in the face. If he could move his magic from inside her he could carry her past the dump.

In that state, all her memories would degenerate to that of magical ones. Perhaps with the right dream, he could cause her summon up the one he desired for her to remember.

Gloves were lifted from the floor and returned to the pale hands they warmed. There was now the question of how to give Sarah the peach. She wouldn't accept it from the Goblin King.

A crystal was summoned to his hand, in it Sarah, without Hoggle.

That cretin. How dare he?

Hoggle's image came to his crystal. The coward had run off, abandoned her. Sarah had saved the little whelp's life and he had ditched her. That dirty rat deserved every bit of punishment that Jareth could think of.

Jareth teleported himself right behind Hoggle, as Sarah called the bug. Hoggle turned around. "Well, if it isn't you." Jareth immediately began digging into him. It was so obvious that he was lying that Jareth couldn't hold back the smile.

It was the spite, malice that had crawled back up in Jareth. He was going to have fun. Delicate teasing, watching Hoggle gulp in fear, and try to scamper away like the rat he was.

Jareth was hit by a brain wave. A test, he summoned his crystal ball which turned into a peach as Hoggle caught it. Hoggle could give the peach to Sarah. Or, if Hoggle didn't... it seemed part of him was still trying to cut the fool some slack.

A repulsive little scab, as Jareth pointed out prodding Hoggle spitefully. Sarah could like him, she had. She could befriend any Goblin, it was part of her magic, part of the reason Jareth had fallen in love with her.

Sarah was too good at reaching out. Just not towards the Goblin King.

It burned.

What made Hoggle so worthy?

Hoggle couldn't ever reach the point he needed to. Even if that bag off puss had an infinite amount of time he could never be a prince charming or a knight in shining armour. No matter how saturated with magic, he would never understand. Even if his memories weren't erased he would never understand the function of his journey in the first place.

Jareth however felt he needed to prove the point. "If she ever kisses you, I'll turn you into a prince."

Hoggle drew a blank.

Jareth turned it into a threatening joke. "Prince of the Land of Stench!" he waved his arms dramatically and walked off chuckling.

Of course the fool wouldn't understand, but he still had a chance. Choosing Sarah over his own skin was the only condition. Sarah deserved a 'Beauty and the Beast' moment, even if Jareth couldn't be part of it.

It burned.

Jareth returned to his castle. It was very serious business, weaving a dream.

The dream that would carry Sarah to him.

"I'm taking you to the ball Sarah," he whispered to the wind, "soon."