Just a warning...there is bad bad language coming up. Also, having re-read this, I'm going to explain something at the bottom of the chapter.
I've also taken creative liberty with the layout of Jareth's castle.
Can you find the tag for the original movie trailer? It's in this chapter...you get a cookie if you find it!
"NO!" Jareth roared, the window ledge hitting his stomach and he peered out into the murky waters of the moat, which surrounded the castle. Vaguely, he could make out a figure in the water, but could not tell if it was moving.
He faced his cousin, his very being seething with anger. The walls of the castle began to shake with the force of Jareth's emotion.
"Evitt, get these people out of here!" He commanded, using all of the power he possessed to pin Hutton against the stone wall next to the window.
"If she survived, it's only a matter of time before someone tries to kill her again," Hutton said, his chest heaving.
"You gave me two weeks," Jareth growled, tightening his grip. "But I haven't the time to deal with you now. Guards!"
More than twenty, large, slobbering goblins were instantly at Jareth's side. "Take him and place him in the oubliette," Jareth commanded, hurrying to the window ledge and leaping towards the moat, knowing he would land safely. I will deal with you later, Hutton, Jareth's voice seeped into the ballroom where the guards quickly and efficiently beat the large man into unconsciousness.
Sarah's eyes fluttered open and closed. Pain was streaking down the left side of her body, causing a low moan to escape her lips.
She couldn't open her eyes wide enough to see where she was. Panic began to consume her. Memories of her abduction began to resurface.
Memories of falling to her death.
"No," she moaned softly. "Jareth!" She struggled to sit up.
"I am here," a silky voice said, instantly at her side. A cool cloth was placed to her head and water was brought to her lips.
"Jareth," Sarah breathed, lifting her hand in the direction of his voice. It landed gently on his cheek. She smiled. "Jareth," she repeated, sounding relieved and happy. He watched in shock as she pulled herself to him, burying her face to his chest and weeping. "It's you! Oh my God, it's you, I thought he had taken me! He was going to kill me!"
Unconsciously, his arms had encircled her, holding her tightly to his body. He was running his bare hand over her silken hair in an unconscious effort to soothe her.
She sobbed for a few more moments before exhaustion forced her to ease back onto the pillows.
Jareth was thankful Sarah's eyes were bruised shut, for she was unable to see the look of concern plastered across his face.
She was badly injured, so badly he was unable to heal her completely with magic.
Without what he could manage, however, she surely would have died. When she was pulled from the moat, the sight of her broken body almost caused Jareth to vomit instantly. He had immediately done all he could with the end result being a young woman with two badly bruised eye sockets and aches and pains that would last for the next several days.
"Why can't I see anything?" She asked in a weak voice that tore at Jareth's heart.
"Miss seeing my face, do you?" He asked, making his voice sound arrogant and mocking so she would not suspect the worst.
She sort of smiled, lacking the strength to combat Jareth's snide comments.
This worried him even more. He cleared his throat. "Do you remember what happened, Sarah?"
She nodded, tears slipping from her eyes again. Jareth cursed under his breath. He had been hoping that the blows to her head would have knocked the memory out.
"When you fell, you hit the water with incredible force," he said, deciding that bluntness was the best way to address the current situation. "Face first, apparently." He added, trying to keep the mood as light as possible.
She wiped at her tears as she smiled again. "But you will live," he diagnosed.
"Jareth," she said, sounding as if she was summoning all of her energy. "Why does Hutton want me dead? Why am I so hated here?"
"Sarah..." Jareth began, but she cut him off.
"No more games, Jareth. I'm not looking for a puzzle to solve," she said firmly.
Jareth remained silent.
"Just tell me what I have to do to so I can get on with it and get the fuck out of here," she said, her voice deadly serious.
Jareth smiled, amazed by her strength.
"Alright," Jareth breathed, feeling utterly defeated.
He half expected the very walls of his chambers to come crashing down; that the Labyrinth would finally collapse under his obvious lack of power over her.
Yet, nothing happened. "I must warn you, Sarah, I refused tell you not because I enjoy tormenting you, which I do," he quipped, watching as her eyebrows knotted together as she listened. "It was because I fear telling you would make what you have to do impossible, and there is so much at stake."
He paused, amazed at his honesty.
"What's at stake?" Sarah asked in a small voice.
"Oh, nothing you'd care about," he said flippantly. "Just the existence of my world."
He heard Sarah gasp, and watched in surprise as more tears dripped down her face. "You mean everything," she gestured weakly with her hand, "would disappear?"
He nodded, then, realizing she couldn't see him, said "Yes," in a clipped voice.
"Even you?" She asked meekly. He turned to face her, watching as her hand found his arm, then trailed up to his cheek.
He nodded again, knowing that she could feel the motion. "It seems you've cast me in a very demanding role," Jareth said, taking her hand from his face, uncomfortable with the tenderness of the moment. Sarah's eyebrows knitted again momentarily. "And as I've said before, I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me." He sighed heavily. "The reason you are here..."
"Stop!" Sarah cried suddenly. "Jareth, please, don't say another word!"
"Pardon me?" He asked, incredulous.
"Please," she said again, her voice interrupted by hiccupping sobs. "Don't tell, me okay?"
Jareth was speechless. Picking up on that, Sarah continued talking. "You're an asshole, Jareth..."
"Sarah," Jareth warned.
"Just listen to me!" She yelled. She was all but kneeling on the bed, as if she suddenly discovered an unused bit of energy within herself. "You're an asshole, but you're not stupid. Everything you do is calculated," her face was soaked in tears, the white shirt she wore dipping dangerously low under her movements. "You wouldn't have tried to keep this from me if it wasn't absolutely necessary," she explained. "If it would have helped the process, you would have told me, especially when the Labyrinth itself was at stake!" She paused, reconsidering her words. "When your life is at stake!"
"It's not my life I am trying to save, it is every other life I am responsible for," he all but shouted.
"And that is exactly why you shouldn't tell me!" Sarah yelled back. "Why are you getting so angry? Isn't this what you wanted?"
I can't manipulate you anymore, he thought. It's killing me to deceive you.
"Isn't it?" Sarah shouted. He didn't know if she realized, but she had moved dreadfully close to him during their exchange. He winced as he got a closer look at her injuries, at the dark purple bruises hiding her stormy eyes from him.
If he told her, he would be relieved of his secret, relieved of this burden he had carried for so long.
If he didn't, she might actually fall in love with him.
"I do not wish to deceive you," he said carefully. He watched as her body relaxed slightly. "But I must do all I can to protect the Labyrinth and all of its inhabitants."
He watched for a reaction.
She was listening closely, her head tilted to one side.
"Because of that, and only because of that, I will take your advice for the time being," he said.
Sarah eased back on her pillows. "Good," she exhaled. "You really are an incredibly annoying man, do you know that?"
Jareth stifled a smile.
"I just don't know how I'm supposed to help you if you won't tell me what I have to do," She continued, more seriously.
"This particular thing may be easier to accomplish if you are unaware," He replied smoothly. Sarah turned to get more comfortable, half asleep.
"Riddles and puzzles," she murmured. "And nothing is as it seems."
And then she was asleep, leaving Jareth to watch her in the darkness.
Thanks for the reviews by the way...Now, some of you may be sitting there going, why is Sarah all of a sudden all nice and concerned about Jareth. Well, I found myself asking myself the same thing. Let's just say she was emotionally traumatized by the attempt on her life and, of course, there will always be tenderness in Sarah's heart for the Labyrinth, it's inhabitants, and Jareth.
Also...Jareth is still decieving Sarah by not telling her the she must agree to stay in the underground forever...just to remind you!
