Chapter 14

Jareth watched helplessly as the guards approached. He glanced over to Tharman who was clutching Sarah tightly, stroking her hair and smirking. Sarah was tying to wiggle free but she was held too firmly. It made Jareth's blood boil with rage just watching them, he strained against his restraints, gritting his teeth.

"Let her go Tharman." Jareth said firmly. "Let her go or you'll regret it."

Tharman stopped smirking and looked over at Jareth. His head was limp and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat, blood was oozing from his wounds and his voice was breathless.

"I say again Jareth, I don't think you are in any position to make threats." Tharman said calmly as he began walking towards Jareth, dragging Sarah with him. "And I also think it is you who will be having regrets. Regretting you didn't take this girl as your own the moment she set foot in this realm, regretting the fact that you cannot save her, that she will soon be mine for ever and that you, Goblin King, will soon be dead."

Tharman was now standing about a foot away, Jareth looked up at him and then over to Sarah, tears were steaming down her face. She tried to reach over to him but Tharman pulled her back with him by her hair.

"Well my dear neighbor I must say you are looking slightly worse for wear, not sure if you'll be making it to the little show I had planned for you." Tharman said in a mock sympathetic tone, tilting his head to one side slightly.

Jareth looked up again, Sarah was trying to reach out to him, she was calling his name, but he couldn't hear her properly.

"Sarah?" He whispered breathlessly. His eyes were heavy, his limbs were heavy, his head was heavy, in fact his whole body was heavy. He was panting now and could feel sweat trickling down his face. His hair was limp and stuck to his forehead and neck. He could feel his lifeblood draining away and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, everything was quiet now, all he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing. He glanced at Sarah, she was still trying to reach him, but she was held fast by the strong arms of Tharman. Jareth then glanced up at Tharman himself, there was a large grin across his face, a triumphant grin, a victory grin. He knew he had won and all he had to do now was wait for his opponent to bleed to death.

"Jareth!" Sarah shouted as she strained against Tharman's grip. "Jareth please don't die!" She pleaded desperately. "I'm sorry I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I'm so sorry." She watched as Jareth's head lulled up and down. He would glance at her briefly but then his head would fall to his chest again. Each time this happened Sarah's heart would literally stop, until he raised his head again, showing he hadn't given up the fight for life completely. She got more and more hysterical every time this happened and her legs were starting to give way from the sheer effort of reaching out to Jareth. Tharman noticed this and his smile disappeared, a frown growing across his forehead instead.

"I think we should be leaving you now Jareth." Tharman said.

Jareth raised his head up.

"I think my Sarah is getting a bit too distressed and upset. Stress you see, it's not good when trying to conceive." He said matter-of-factly.

"No." Jareth whispered, mustering all the strength he could manage. "Sarah!"

Tharman started dragging Sarah down the hallway with him.

"Jareth!" She screamed. "Jareth no, you can't die!"

"Well my dear I'm afraid that's not really up to you who dies and who doesn't, and unfortunately for you there seems to be a bleak outlook for your dear Goblin King." Tharman said smirking.

The guards were close to where Jareth was bound. Tharman spoke to them. "Make sure he doesn't escape." He said smirking as he glanced back at the seemingly lifeless body of the Goblin King chained to the wall. "Not that there's much chance of that."

The lead guard nodded, his metal helmet clanged, it completely covered his face but he was still able to speak clearly. "As you wish your majesty." He said in a gruff voice.

"Jareth no!" Sarah screamed again. "You can't die. You can't die because I love you."

Tharman stopped dead and turned back to the eight or so guards who were standing around the dying Jareth. "Kill him." He shouted. "I've had enough of this, kill him now."

The nearest guard unsheathed his sword and approached Jareth slowly.

Sarah was standing shaking her head, Tharman gripped her tightly. "Do it now!" He shouted to the guard.

The guard pulled back his sword, ready to drive it deep into Jareth's heart.

There was another sound before he could do the dreadful deed, another sword being unsheathed. With one quick movement the first guard slumped to the floor, dead.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Tharman screamed, marching back down the hall way, again dragging Sarah with him.

There was another thump, another guard crumpled to the floor, dead. Tharman speeded up his pace. Thump, another one dead. Thump, only four left standing. Three of them turned to face Tharman drawing their swords, the forth approached Jareth, undid the restraints and lowered him gently to the ground.

"Let her go." The guard closest to Tharman and Sarah said.

Tharman did nothing.

The guard walked closer, the other two right behind him and the forth kneeling on the floor next to Jareth. He pointed his sword to Tharman's throat. "Let her go." He repeated firmly.

Sarah felt his grip on her loosen, and she quickly ran off to where Jareth was lying. "Jareth," she whispered. "We're safe now." She smiled, blinking back the tears. She looked up at the man kneeling next to her, it was Davron, his helmet on the floor beside him. He had wrapped a cloth tightly around the wound on Jareth's arm and was pressing more cloth firmly on the wound on Jareth's stomach. Jareth moaned as he increased the pressure.

"You big wuss." He said jokingly as a single tear slid down his cheek. He turned to the three guards standing with Tharman. "Take his sword from him." He said.

Jareth turned his head to look at Davron. "How did you……?" He started saying.

"Shhhh," Davron soothed. "You need to keep you strength up."

"He's dead!" Tharman laughed. "You cannot save him! It's too late!"

Davron shook his head, Tharman's words rang truth in his ears."Press down hard on this." He said to Sarah and then stood up, unsheathing his sword and walking over to Tharman. "You deserve to die." He spat at him. "But I'm not like you." He continued as he put his sword away. "But mark my words Tharman, you will pay."

With that Davron walked back over to where Sarah and Jareth were and called over two of the guards who were standing with Tharman. "Carry him out to the cart waiting outside, Argamore is waiting for us there, he will be able to get us outside the city walls unseen, then we can get back to the goblin castle."

The two guards walked over and quickly heaved Jareth up from the floor. He moaned feebly. His eyes remaining shut.

Sarah stroked his face, his skin was cold and damp with sweat. "Please stay with me Jareth." She whispered, "I need you."

Davron then walked back to Tharman and indicated that the last guard should go help with Jareth as well. "You haven't heard the last of this Tharman." He said and turned, heading quickly towards where the others stood.

Sarah looked up and gasped, "Davron look out!" She shouted.

And then it came, the terrible sound of metal penetrating flesh and there was a thump as another body fell to the ground, dead.