Chapter 12: The Return
The reborn Goblin Queen had refused the Goblin King, had said the words to defeat him. Jareth lay in his bed, alone once again, haunted by the battle he had had with Sarah, tormented knowing that she was alive and not by his side. It hurt him to the very core and he felt so sick and weak.
The last time he had been this weak was when Sarah had been killed, taken before her time. He hadn't wanted to go on. What was the point? He was nothing without his queen. But he had realized that a love as strong as theirs would go on, that she would come back to him. Only she didn't. She didn't return to him, wishing no doubt to have nothing to do with him for the rest of her life now that she had rescued Toby.
He lay there, his heart broken, believing that he would never have what he once did.
"This is the place, huh?" Sarah asked, gazing at the ruins of the old manor before her.
The place must have been several hundred years old. In parts, moss and vines grew over the ruins, giving it a more ancient look. She knew that the ruins would be perfect for the short film that her friend was making, with Sarah herself staring as the main character. Still, there was something strange about this place. Something familiar somehow.
"Yeah." Her friend and director of the film said, digging out her phone to use to take photographs of the place. "I got permission from the historical society to use it for a film location. You know there's a local legend about this place. Going to see if I can hint to it in my film."
"A local legend?" Sarah repeated, looking away from the ruins to her friend, who was starting to take a series of photographs.
"They say that a queen died here. Her husband, the king of an underworld, slaughtered her killers." Her friend elaborated. "Of course, the queen was also supposedly kidnapped and bewitched by the king, making her bend to his will. The only way to free her was by killing her. But the king could not be defeated. Her body rests deep in his kingdom, far from her home. It is said that anyone who is here after dark becomes his next victim to be slaughtered in revenge for his wife's death. Quite a tragic tale, don't you think?"
Sarah felt sick in the pit of her stomach.
"That's horrible." She managed to say after swallowing a feeling vomit down.
Her friend looked up at her.
"Are you okay?" Sarah looked pale, as if all the color had been flushed out of her.
"I'm fine." The actress protested. "I just…I think I'm going to take a look around and find somewhere to sit for a bit."
The director nodded, telling Sarah to be careful.
The brunette walked, looking out for where she was going as she stepped over some ruins. Somehow, she could picture everything perfectly in her mind, everything down to the last detail of how the manor looked in its glory days.
She paused when she saw a tree. The tree was large and old with thick branches. She could imagine a barn owl resting on its branches. A barn owl. She hadn't seen one since that night, the night that she had wished away Toby and defeated the Goblin King in his labyrinth. It had been ten years since then and she had grown up, the magic lost in the story.
Sarah moved towards the tree and rested a hand on the bark of the trunk. The tree had seen much. But despite whatever horrors it had seen, it stood there, it's leaves swaying peacefully in the light summer wind.
She felt something on her hand. It was sticky like sap. She pulled her hand away from the tree and saw red on the palm of her hand, thick red like blood. Iron and fire was in the air.
A queen died here. The king of an underworld slaughtered her killers.
The words echoed through her, reverberating across it. Blood. There had been so much blood. Sarah felt short of breath, her hand reaching to clutch her belly, her belly where she had…
Her thoughts went to someone she knew, someone she had loved, the fae she had defeated. Memories flooded into her mind, a life time she had had. The past, their past. She need him.
In a moment of sickness, lost in the harsh memories, her lips moved to speak the words: "I wish that the goblins would come and take me away, right now."
She fell limp against the tree, the world turning into blood before she closed her eyes.
But down in the underground you'll find someone true.
It was dark and cold, wherever she was now, but what she was resting her hand on was warm. It was only a moment later that she realized her hand was clutching her belly, as if by instinct to protect it.
"You've returned." A familiar voice said.
"Jareth." She spoke his name, the name of the one she had loved and defeated.
She saw a small flame in the darkness which moved into a candle, lighting up where she now found herself. Standing before her was the Goblin King. He appeared a bit thinner than she remembered him and older with a few streaks of silver mixed in with his golden hair. He looked harsh, vicious even in an outfit of deep black, the collar of his cape cut into a sharp shape.
She moved her hand off of her belly. She had no baby in her womb to protect.
Jareth watched her silently, keeping away from her. Even seeing her like this, the very vision of herself before she had been killed, hurt him. If it hadn't been for her wish, he wouldn't be standing here before her.
"Do you actually remember me or am I still your villain, Sarah?" He asked. He was bitter about her defeating him. She could see that. And it seemed that after a decade, he hadn't completely healed.
He wanted proof, to not have his dreams squashed again. Sarah hadn't meant to hurt him, but she had been young and didn't remember him then. But now was a different story.
She let out a breath. Telling him the facts of who he was to her, who he had been to her in her past life, who he could be to her again would not do. She knew that.
"I know you." Sarah stood up from her spot, walking towards him. Jareth backed away from her, hitting the stone wall. He seemed small and weak. Had she wounded him that badly? When she reached him, she held out a gentle hand to caress his face, a gesture of affection she had done many times in her past life by his side. "I won't hurt you. Imagine someone as powerful as you being afraid."
Jareth said nothing, merely watching and listening to her.
"I wanted my freedom. You knew that and gave it to me. You gave me my dreams, my desires. I'm sorry I couldn't hold on. I'm sorry I left you too soon. I'm sorry I defeated you." She continued. "Jareth, please, forgive me."
Her touch was so familiar and he found himself unable to resist her, his broken heart finally piecing back together. He reached for her hand that caressed his face, placing his hand over hers.
"Stay." He begged her. He needed her. Only she could save and heal him, fix her mistake and wipe away the years of sadness and bitterness.
"Forever." She answered him, offering him a soft smile.
The couple disappeared in a cloud of glitter, the king and his queen together again.
Notes: Still not over! I promise!
