AN: mature content, don't read if easily offended, sorry for any typos, this is a long one!
After Sarah had got dressed, the third attempt at the pancakes had finally been successful. Jareth had declared them the best he'd ever eaten.
Sarah smirked "How many pancakes have you actually eaten to be able to compare, Jareth? Ι don't suppose your little goblins know how to make them."
Jareth finished wiping his hands. "You forget how often I frequent the capitals of Europe. I've eaten the best pancakes there are to eat, though I know them as crepes."
Sarah looked down at the plates she was clearing away and smiled to herself. "You're just trying to flatter me."
"I don't need to flatter you to get closer to you. That will happen of its own accord. And in case you haven't noticed, it's you who avoids the truth. I have not lied to you so far."
That was true. Sarah couldn't argue with that. For all his irritating arrogance and annoying attractiveness, he so far had been completely honest. She went to sit with Jareth on the thick carpet on the floor of the tent. An awkward silence threatened to descend on them, when Jareth pulled out a crystal and began to manipulate it, this way and that.
Sarah watched his movements, mesmerised. Slowly, she saw some sort of official chamber come into focus. Jareth gestured to her and held his finger to his lips for her to stay silent.
"Tribble good day. Are all matters of the kingdom in order?" asked Jareth.
Sarah squinted to make out the warped features of the goblin on the other end of the crystal. His voice scattered through "Good day, sire. All matters are in order."
"Good." said Jareth. "I shall be back tonight. Dismissed."
The goblin bowed and then was gone. Jareth playfully tossed the crystal at Sarah. She instinctively reached out to catch it. In her hands, it just looked like an ordinary piece of glass, nothing more. She peered inside. Light scattered within the crystal for a few seconds, and then disappeared.
Sarah looked at Jareth inquisitively. "Just checking on business." he answered, without her asking.
"Are we really going back tonight?" Sarah asked, a little downcast.
"Sadly, yes. As much as I'd love to roll around the woods giving you grass stains on your clothes, there is only so long I can be away from my kingdom before the goblins come up with some other ridiculous scheme. The last time they opened a gambling den in my throne room. They raced chickens. It was a complete mess by the time I got back." said Jareth.
It sounded so complicated to Sarah, even if her first impression of the Labyrinth had been one of utter amazement. Constantly having to keep an entire of kingdoms in check was starting to sound exhausting.
"I guess I never thought about all the ins and outs of running an actual kingdom." she said, rolling the crystal in her palms.
"Because you never had to, that's why." responded Jareth, watching the movements of her hands.
Sarah tipped her head, the way she did when she thought about something. "Do you like being king, Jareth?"
Jareth shrugged. "I'll be honest with you. You know that the kingdom ended up my control on a twist of fate. As an elite warrior, I was better suited to other things. I would have preferred a more orderly kingdom, more educated and sophisticated subjects. But this is my lot." he said with a sigh, "I am the King of the Goblins and I will defend my subjects with my life if I have to."
"They're lucky to have you." said Sarah, continuing to roll the crystal in her hands.
"Luck has nothing to do with it. I've told you, my kingdom is not a peaceful place. We end up in battles more often than I'd like. The Underground is a violent place. I've carried out more battles and ordered more executions than I would ideally have liked."
He said it so casually that it took a few moments for Sarah to register what he had said. He waited for his words to sink in and was ready with his own gaze when her eyes shot up in alarm. Her mouth opened and shut again without making a sound, and she looked away. Jareth watched her eyes, wide with panic now, aimlessly searching the pattern of the carpet. She could feel her hands growing clammy around the crystal, which she was holding perfectly still now, and when Jareth reached out to take one of her hands, she felt herself visibly shrink away.
Executions? Holy crap!
She looked at him when she felt his touch, her panicked eyes meeting his patient gaze and he felt almost sorry then. But better she knew now the true nature of the workings of the Underground, better now than later. If she walks, let it be now. Sarah's mouth felt like it was full of dust. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She just gawked at Jareth.
"Sarah, I know this news frightens you. And I make no apologies. The Underground is not just the pretty, glittering labyrinth that you saw. It has many, many dark aspects, and I have had to do many things that you would be repulsed by. All I can say to reassure you is that I am always just, and always fair."
Sarah's eyebrows furrowed. She faltered, trying to get her words out. "Fair? Jareth… you cheated in a game with a teenage girl, how can that be true? What… what am I to believe? And now I'm out here in this place alone with you, and … and there's all this talk about executions?!"
"Because that was a game, and I keep my business matters completely separate from the runnings of the Labyrinth. I asked one thing of you - your trust, so now I must ask you to trust me that I am telling the truth. I pray as much as anyone else that one day peace will reign over my kingdom. Imagine my position - what could be more monstrous than a Goblin King who goes about stealing innocent babies? I take no delight in my reputation as a fearsome king."
Sarah nodded. She stayed perfectly still as Jareth's fingers ran through her hair. Her eyes, though, were confused. Pleading. What had she expected? Hadn't she herself been scared of him? What had she thought he did all day? She nodded dumbly again.
Jareth sighed. This wasn't going too well. He noticed the crystal, still held limply in Sarah's fingers. She was upset, and she was scared. Otherwise, she would be angry right now.
"Do you want to leave?" he asked her softly. He held up his free hand, and the blue crystal materialised from thin air. "Take it," he coaxed "And return Aboveground, this crystal will be my gift to you. I will arrange for you to see the Oracle of your own accord and we shall go our separate ways. Or accept that this what I must be as king, and that I would rather it wasn't this way, and stay with me a little longer. It's your choice. You have the power, you always do." he said. And this would be how it ended. Perhaps it was too much too soon after all, thought Jareth.
There was about half a second when Sarah looked at the endless blue of the crystal in Jareth's hand, thinking about his offer. It looked like a shade of ocean she'd once seen, and she wanted to lose herself in it. Take the easy way out. Her logic told her to do it. But then she looked at Jareth. And oh, those eyes, how they ripped into her very soul. Should her fingers touch the crystal, that would be it. Those eyes would join the realms of her memories, never to look at her like this, or in any other way again. She took a deep breath. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. You're right. It's not what I had hoped. And yes, I'm scared, Jareth. That part of you, of who you are obliged to be as you say, it frightens me. But perhaps I was deluding myself. At least your warfare is honest. Not like Aboveground. We go to war over nothing."
Jareth tried to mask his visible relief. He threw the blue crystal into the air, and it floated around the tent before popping. He'd bought himself a little more time. A little more time to win Sarah's trust, and a little more time to convince himself he wasn't being a total fool.
Seeing it made Sarah think of something. Trying to lighten the mood, she turned to Jareth. "Jareth, what happened after I ate the peach?"
Jareth narrowed his gaze and leaned back on his hands. "Why do you ask? You know that already."
Sarah shook her head. "No, what actually happened? The ballroom was an illusion, right? So how did I end up falling from the sky into the garbage heap?"
"Ah!" said Jareth, clocking on to what she was asking. He sat up and let his hands rest over his knees as he crossed his legs. "After you ate the peach, you fell into a daze. I then came to find you, since it would have been careless to leave you in the woods where any number of creatures could have come across you." Jareth smiled, remembering the teenage Sarah leaning against a bank of moss, her eyes wide open, darting at nothing but the scene he knew was playing out in her head.
"I took you into my arms and up into the sky, and we stayed there dancing until you broke the illusion, you spoilsport. I was inside the illusion too, don't forget, so when I saw what you did, I had no choice but to descend you back to the ground. I calculated how far you would have got without my intrusion, and dropped you off."
Sarah smiled. What a surprisingly sweet tale! "Jareth, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were a big old softie!" she said, giggling in spite of herself, playfully poking Jareth in the arm.
"Shows what you know." retorted Jareth and Sarah stifled a grin.
"How much of the illusion was mine, and how much of it did you construct?" she asked.
"The ballroom was your fantasy, but I heavily embellished. By that time I think we were both exhausted, so I thought I might as well join you for a dance."
"I'm guessing the dress was my imagination-"
"And the hair was mine." said Jareth, cutting in proudly. "Quite a creation, don't you think? But you missed the significance of it."
Sarah dropped the crystal from one had to the other, enjoying its heaviness now that she was relaxing again. She looked across her shoulder at him. "What do you mean?"
"We don't wear crowns in my kingdom. We show our status with our hair. Hair is considered extremely important in displaying status. To touch ones hair without permission is a grave faux pas. My elaborate hair is the hair of a king. So you hair…" Jareth gestured at Sarah, waiting for her to fill in the blanks.
She got it immediately "The hair you gave me was the hair of a … queen? Literally a crowning glory" she asked in amazement. How many times had she tried to recreate that hair in the years that followed, and she'd failed every time. No wonder, if it was a construct of magic.
Jareth grinned, his sharp tooth showing. "Indeed, my clever girl."
Sarah ran her gaze over Jareth's fair locks. She reached out to touch them mischievously, when Jareth caught her hand. "Ah ah ah! Naughty naughty. I didn't say you could do that. I never let anyone touch my hair."
Sarah frowned, looking annoyed and hurt at the same time. Her mind skipped a few steps ahead and Jareth saw the question in her eyes seconds before she asked it. "How does that work with…. You know…"
"With my intimate relations? How does it work in the throes of passion when your lover reaches out to run their fingers through your hair? It's very simple. They don't."
"Because they know not to." offered Sarah simply, tipping her head and pointing at Jareth, starting to feel herself blush as she tried to convince herself to keep this instruction in mind without it seeming pressumptious.
"Because I tie them to the bed, or hold them down." responded Jareth, raising his eyebrows devilishly. He relished the sight of Sarah turn bright red. Poor little bird, how did you end you end up in the clutches of a fiend like me?
Sarah gulped. My God that's hot! No way! It's… it's terrible! But it's hot! He didn't lie, hadn't he just said that? "And they're okay with this?"
"They're not only okay with it my dear, they flock to me for it. You'd be amazed at how women want to give up all control when given the chance. I find that surrender heightens the senses. Just pure, unadulterated pleasure, no responsibility, no need to think. Just lie back and drown in pleasure at the hands of someone as skilled as I am."
Sarah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defensively, trying subversively to take a few calming breaths. "It's not a very enticing prospect."
Jareth sat up straight and smirked, bemused at her audacity. "Oh really now?" he asked. "How so? Do elaborate. I'm dying to learn more about what makes you so knowledgeable in these matters.."
Sarah shrugged. "I just don't hear much about love, that's all."
Jareth threw his head back and roared with laughter. Sarah frowned at him, waiting for him to finish. Why should sex that involved love be such a hilarious concept to him? God he was incorrigible!
When he finally stopped laughing, Jareth wiped the traces of tears from his eyes. "It's so amusing how little you know. I forget sometimes. What does love have to do with it, Sarah? It's just nerve endings, neurons firing. I've had the best sex with women I absolutely hated."
Sarah was really getting riled now. "What the hell does that mean, Jareth!?" she tried to hide it, but along with her genuine outrage, Jareth could detect jealousy.
"I mean, sometimes I like to punish my adversaries with sex."
Now Sarah really didn't know what to do. She swallowed hard, knowing she had to ask the next question, and knowing it would decide whether she immediately asked to leave there and then. "What do you mean, punish them with sex… you mean, like… making them… against their will?" she asked, slowly and deliberately, not wanting to look at him.
Jareth's face fell. Sarah gasped, her eyes wild as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Never, ever even joke about such a thing. I may be fearsome, but I am not a total monster. Few in the Underground are. Such a crime is instantly punishable by death in nearly every kingdom in the Underground. You might think we're flippant about physical matters, but to take something so pleasurable, something which should, in a perfect world, lead to the gift of a child, and to use it to attack someone is perverse in the extreme. It's beyond the realm of nearly everyone's thinking, which is why, unlike your kind in the Aboveground, we would never even dream of so easily, so carelessly…of committing the act of..." he couldn't say it. He let go of Sarah's face, and saw her stunned eyes.
"I had no idea… I'm sorry. I got confused when you said what you said and-"
Jareth took a few deep breaths to regain his composure. Of course she would come to that conclusion, he hadn't been clear enough. With the warfare and the anarchy and the chaos, why should she think anything other than that rape was a part of all that? How was she to know how depraved such an act was considered among Fae? "Forgive me for not being clear. What I meant, Sarah," he said, quietly, the lightness creeping back into his voice "was that sometimes I like to seduce queens I detest, pleasure them until they're half out of their minds, and then withdraw that pleasure from them completely, never allowing them access to it again, no matter how much they beg. And before you accuse me of being a cad, I've succumbed to the same treatment from certain queens. In fact, that's how I learnt the trick. Tie them up and deliver the greatest pleasures they have ever known, then be gone for good. That's what I meant."
More queens! Just how many of them were there? Sarah struggled to control her breathing when the Goblin King spoke again, he said, his voice low and suggestive. "I assume no one has ever done that to you before. Tied you up and ..."
Sarah shot him a look. "You assume a lot of things. I'm not completely inexperienced."
"So?"
"So what?"
"Has any of those silly mortal boys ever tied you to a bed and done wicked things to you?" asked Jareth, his voice now so matter of fact that it caught Sarah off guard.
She squared her jaw and sat up straight. Defensive. "No, Jareth, they haven't. Satisfied?"
Jareth nodded. "Why should I be satisfied when you haven't been? Very well. I was simply curious. That's nothing that can't be corrected. You know, it's admirable the way you talk about love and sex, having never experienced the combination of the two yourself either. That puts us on an even footing in the bedroom, and I suppose we can find out together what role emotion plays in sex." he said devilishly, sweeping up towards the cooking supplies. "You look like you could do with a drink. You're all flushed." he said. Sarah could feel herself brooding quietly as she watched him preparing various leaves and twigs into some sort of tea. He pressed the herbs into a teapot and poured hot water over them.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Sarah. The greatest release can sometimes come from total surrender. I've had queens from kingdoms afar come to me for this very thing."
Sarah's heart was racing, and she was distraught with herself. Every sensibility told her this was outrageous, but her basest instincts were running riot. What a prospect. What a delicious prospect.
Change the subject Sarah, change the subject IMMEDIATELY! her mind finally screamed.
"Speaking of queens. You still haven't told me the duties of an Underground queen." she said.
"Very clever of you to change the subject like that." said Jareth, walking back over to where Sarah was sat on the carpet. It didn't escape him that her eyes had turned glassy, that her hands gripped the crystal in her hands so tight now that her knuckles were white. This poor girl continued to torture herself, when it would take no effort for her to rip those extra tight trousers off him and have her way, thought Jareth ruefully.
"You wish to hear about our queens, then that's what I shall tell you." Jareth sighed deeply as he prepared to speak. He flicked his wrist to move his floppy white sleeve out of the way as he poured them both a purplish tea.
"First of all," he said "I want you to tell me what you think a Labyrinth queen does, and I'll correct you as we go along."
Sarah took the tea he offered her. She sat cross legged before him, wearing a short sleeved blue blouse and long, burgundy gypsy skirt. Pink polka dot socks popped out from under the folds of her dress. She was under dressed as usual in the face of Jareth's elaborate fare - how did he manage to look so masculine in a shirt that frilly? She'd never know.
She took a sip of the tea. "Well, Aboveground we learn that queens come from privileged lives. They have the best of everything. They wear-"
"Gowns and jewels? Diamonds?" interjected Jareth, playfully.
Sarah shrugged "Well, don't they?"
Jareth smirked and laid his tea to one side. He got up, retrieved a sword from one of the tent's walls and turned to face Sarah. He fell into a fencing position and held the blade towards Sarah.
"A queen of the Labyrinth needs to know much more than just dancing with a sword, impressive as you were." he said. He inched closer and popped the top button of Sarah's blouse with the blade. Sarah flinched and glared at Jareth. "I liked that shirt!" she complained. "She dresses pretty close to how you are dressed now, though a little more classic. A little more like me, you might say. Not so many skirts, more riding britches, tight, stretchy material. Good for both riding horses and scaling walls if needs be." said Jareth, ignoring her little protest.
Sarah snorted and sat back on her hands. "I can't imagine a queen running around dressed like you Jareth." she said, cocking her head. "No offence."
"None taken. Our queens need to be dressed practically for their various duties. She needs to be quick in both body and mind, fair and, if needs be, harsh." He threw Sarah a sideways glance as he went to place the sword back.
"As I already told you," continued Jareth "A queen leads her army into battle, not the king. And even if she knows she is leading her troops into the jaws of death, she must not betray this to them. She must exude so much bravery that it's enough to send them to a joyful death." he reached out for Sarah's hand. Did he want to show her something? She took it and stood up with him. To her surprise, Jareth twisted her arm painfully and pinned it behind her. Sarah's face lit up with pain "Ow!" she cried. "Knock it off!"
"She needs to be able to anticipate what even those closest to her might do." said Jareth, spinning Sarah to release her before immediately grabbing her again. They were now standing as if ready to dance. The last time they had been like this… Sarah looked away.
"Sounds like a tall order."
"It is." Jareth began to move very slightly, easing the two of them into a dance around the tent.
"She needs to be able to hold her own at social events too. And, finally, she needs to be able to keep her demanding and fickle king happy." said Jareth, leaning in to hold Sarah close, closer than he had allowed himself the last time, when she was just a child. He planted a kiss against her neck. "Tell me, Sarah, are you disappointed that the life of a queen contains so few silk gowns and cream cakes?" he whispered, and she could feel him smile into the crook of her neck.
"Well that would depend on if I was interested in the position." replied Sarah, closing her eyes as she let herself relax into Jareth's embrace. "So how does one become queen of the Labyrinth? I assume it's by invitation only?"
"You may be surprised to learn that the Underground is for the most part a matriarchal society. Do you know what that means?" asked Jareth, laughing when Sarah playfully thumped him with her free arm. "Yes, Goblin King, I do know what matriarchal means." she replied.
"Women hold much of the power in our world, which is why queens have the final say in matters of state and walk ahead of kings at all official events. Without a queen, an Underground king is considered half a king.
"The only patriarchal part of the union is that the king chooses the queen. We have no particular rights or rituals when it comes to marriage. Each kingdom has it own ways of celebrating the union. For propriety's sake, a ball is usually given. In some kingdoms the queen and king must undergo a test together, such as surviving wilderness for 40 days. In some, just the declaration of living together will suffice. But in all kingdoms, the marriage becomes valid and official when-"
Jareth stopped. Sarah lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. He was staring past her at an invisible spot on the wall. When what? Was he about to say something terrible? "When?" she prompted.
Jareth stopped dancing and tightened his grip on her hand. Their dancing slowed to a stop. "Sarah, the union becomes official when the queen is with child." said Jareth, looking Sarah straight in the eye, and Sarah immediately noticed the sadness hiding in his look.
She'd almost forgotten about Cenric's curse. "Oh." she said, suddenly feeling very small. She felt her hand instinctively squeeze his. What a cruel trick to play. This Cenric character sounded completely bereft of any moral compass. "How were you ever friends with someone as awful as Cenric?" she blurted.
Jareth laughed. He went back to spinning Sarah around the room. "I've asked myself the same question many times! We all make bad choices sometimes" he said. "I assume he kept that as part of his own marriage rituals out of spite." said Sarah.
"You would think so, but Cenric is much too much of a monster for that. He takes queens and bores of them quickly. Do you know how he makes his queens prove their resilience?" he asked Sarah, stopping their dance and leading her towards the edge of the tent. Outside, the air buzzed with strange sounds of birds and creatures unknown to mortal ears.
"How?" asked Sarah.
"He makes his entire elite army bed the queen."
"You're kidding!" said Sarah, shocked.
Jareth shook his head. "No, it's the truth. And he makes them do it on a bed placed on a plinth so the whole kingdom can watch."
"How big is his elite army?" asked Sarah.
"1,000 warriors."
Sarah felt revolted. "Who in their right mind would want to be his queen!" she asked, shaking her head in disgust.
"Oh you'd be surprised what flashing enough diamonds can do to even the best of women." said Jareth. "Fae are quite relaxed about matters of pleasure - fairy whoring, isn't that what you called it? - but like I said we don't use sex to inflict misery. Cenric rules a kingdom of perverts. If you knew even half of what they did - I mean they attack nymphs, for spirits' sake."
"Why is that … particularly bad?"
Jareth looked into the distance and half smiled. "In the pecking order of sensual exploits, you may be surprised to hear that Fae come second. Nymphs are number one. The way they make love, it's, it's the sweetest, most affectionate thing you could ever imagine."
Sarah found herself frowning again. Obviously Jareth was speaking from experience - again.
"So to pervert the art of sex and use it to attack nymphs is particularly cruel. They never recover from the trauma. But Cenric's palace guards do this for sport to any nymph unlucky enough to stumble across his kingdom. That's another reason he's constantly antagonising me. Nymphs are guaranteed refuge in my kingdom. Speaking of my kingdom.. come outside and take a look." said Jareth, stepping aside to allow Sarah to walk out before him, and Sarah realised she hadn't so much as peeked outside all this time.
Now she saw a forest glowing before her in what seemed to be a lingering point between twilight and daybreak, and that the tent was stood in a fairy circle. All around them, the fading light was making the forest glow. Sarah couldn't believe its incredible beauty. "Wow…" she whispered. Jareth watched her watching the forest. How mesmerised she was by what to him was by now so ordinary. She spun in place, open mouthed, the changing shades of light making her appear herself like a creature from heaven.
"It's beautiful, isn't it." said Jareth.
"I've never even imagined anything like it!" whispered Sarah. "How are you not out here all the time!"
"For practical reasons. I'd never get anything done. And I'll be honest, the forest never looks this beautiful for me. I'm used to it, you see. It's feeding off your energy right now. It's responding to you, that's why it looks so beautiful. Why don't you hold out a hand and see what it does?"
Sarah did as Jareth told her, and was amazed when miniscule iridescent specks gathered around her fingertips. She held her hands closer to her face, observing the little blue and white dots as they glowed, pulsing with her heartbeat. "What are they?"
"Bioluminescent pollen. Lovely isn't it?"
It was all lovely. It was beyond words. Sarah looked beyond the clearing and noticed the cobwebs strung between the trees, glittering and glowing with pollen caught in the dew drops. She kept on staring in utter amazement, even when Jareth came up behind her and circled her waist with his arms.
"Tell me this is real. Tell me I'm not dreaming." she whispered, not daring to blink,her own hands reaching down to Jareth's arms around her.
"Oh it's very real my precious, as real as you and I." Jareth hugged her tighter, and watched as the forest's colors flushed in response. Something caught his eye, and he turned, holding Sarah, so she could watch as a flower began to bloom at the edge of the clearing.
"Well!" said Jareth, impressed. "It seems the woods want to offer you a gift. Why don't you take it?"
Sarah tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, leaving tiny specks glowing in her hair, and went to pick the flower. Jareth laced his hands behind his back. It was remarkable how the woods were reacting to her. Was it because she was mortal, or was it because the energy she gave off right now was so pure? In all his years, this was the first time he'd seen the woods positively dance at someone's arrival. Or maybe… maybe it was his own inner peace setting off this intense spectacle.
Just as Sarah's hands reached out to touch the glimmering flower, the earth seemed to hum and shake under her feet. She quickly pulled her hand away, uncertain what to do next and looked at Jareth. He had crossed his arms and took a deep sigh, annoyed. "Looks like more than the forest knows that you're here. Come on, back to the castle."
He took Sarah by the hand and marched back to the tent as she turned to cast a wistful glance at the flower that was now quietly fading at the edge of the clearing as the whole forest began to gently melt into darkness, losing its lights and its colours. Jareth threw aside the tent's opening and strode in, only this time they walked straight back into the dining room of the castle. When Sarah turned around, the tent's fabric drape had turned into the door. Everything was the way it had been. A delicious smelling dinner was laid out on the table, and the fire crackled noisily in the fireplace.
"What just happened?" demanded Sarah. "Someone, or something knew you were in the woods, and since I couldn't place what it was, I thought it best to leave our adventures for another time." said Jareth, leading her to sit by the fireplace. "Stay here." he ordered, waltzing back to the dining table, his shoes thumping purposefully on the wooden floorboards. Jareth breathed deep. That had been a little too close. He quickly assembled two plates and took them back to the fireplace.
"We're going to eat on the floor?" Sarah asked, bemused. Jareth nodded and began tearing at pieces of bread with his gloved hands. "Yes. I eat at a table like that every day. It's such a bore. This is so much more … companionable, don't you think?" he said, grinning.
When they finished eating, Jareth once again cleared up the plates. He wiped his gloved hands on a napkin and came back over to sit with Sarah. Somewhere deep in the palace, a clock began to strike. "Well Sarah, it would seem that the time of your departure is approaching." he said seriously.
Jareth eased his gloves off and poured them each a glass of goblin wine. "Tell me something." he asked casually, and Sarah braced herself for whatever mischief was about to come out of his mouth now. Such a smart ass! "Will you think of me when you leave?"
That caught her off guard. "Oh!" she looked into her cup and then back at Jareth. His face was half lit by the fireplace, golden hair flaming out in every direction. And he was watching her, not flinching as he waited for her reply. Jareth. This castle, this fire. His bed. His hands. How could she not think of him? "Yes. I will Jareth. These few days have been… I'll never forget them. It's just so much to think about, so much to take in. I don't think I even have words to describe them."
Jareth set his cup down. "Sometimes words don't suffice, don't you think?" he said. Sarah nodded. The fireplace crackled between them for a few silent moments. Sarah chewed her lip. What was this sinking feeling she had in her heart? Jareth had been right when they first departed for this place. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to go up to the normality, the ordinary life of up there.
"When will I see you again?" she asked.
Just then a goblin burst through the door. "Sires! Yer carriage awaitings!" he said, clattering across the floor with various pieces of riding gear and armor falling around him. Jareth sighed and gave Sarah a knowing look. "Let's go, I'll escort you back Aboveground."
It was night time now. Dark, just as when she had arrived. Just a few short days and it seemed like so long ago. She had arrived here completely suspicious, but she was leaving with her heart full of questions, and… longing.
Jareth said nothing. He didn't know how to answer her question. He wanted to see her again. Soon. He didn't want her to leave in fact. But he had a kingdom to run. Unless the Oracle sent for them within the next few weeks, it might end up being a while. He stepped aside and ushered Sarah into the carriage. As before, they sat on opposite sides of the carriage. And with a tap on the ceiling, they rumbled away.
Neither said anything. Jareth was watching her intently, one arm draped over the back of the seat, the other on his knee. The carriage rocked gently, making the tendrils of Sarah's hair sway ever so slightly. He smiled, noticing the remnants of the magical pollen glowing in her locks. Now a game of patience lay before him, a game to see which of the two would blink first.
Sarah gulped. After everything, this goodbye seemed so, well so… ordinary. She was confused. Hadn't he said that he was going to give her a sendoff to remember, or something like that. Well whatever, as if I care! It's just animal lust! I'm so above that. If she dared to admit it, she felt a little disappointed. And empty. When would she see him again? Time seemed to tick by. Sarah noticed Jareth hadn't put his gloves back on. Little insignificant details in the carriage caught her eye.
The curve of Jareth's thigh in those fantastically tight grey trousers. His arched eyebrows. His bare hands. Those fingers. All over her. Was she becoming flushed? Images of what he had done to her flashed through her mind, and realised how badly she wanted more. But she'd never admit it. Never. She couldn't. Her breathing was starting to become fragmented. And all the while, Jareth watched her. He pursed his lips just to relish the way her gaze floated to the movement and froze there. And then, every so slowly, he rose and leaned into Sarah, placing an arm on the carriage wall behind Sarah's head.
"This is all taking a tiresomely long time, don't you think? Getting back to the gateway for the Aboveground, I mean." said Jareth. Sarah was frozen, watching his lips move but not really listening. Say the right words… do the right things… hadn't he said? Something to remember him by? Hadn't he said that?
A slow, predatory smile spread across Jareth's lips. "You thought I was going to let you leave that easily, didn't you? No such luck, my precious. How shall we pass the time? What game do you want to play, Sarah? Hmmm?" he asked her, his mismatched eyes boring into hers. "How about an easy game, one you know? Like I spy?" He leaned towards her, and instinctively Sarah found herself leaning away the closer he crawled, cat-like in his demeanor. She was incredibly aroused. He could smell it radiating off her, and it was divine.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with S." murmured Jareth. Those eyes. How had she never noticed how blue they were before, the little dark lines in the irises? The hollow of his neck, so close how she could feel the heat radiating onto her. Why were her lips burning to kiss it?
"Give up?" whispered Jareth "Sarah...shirt," he said, hooking a finger at the collar of her shirt and easing it downwards. The buttons began to gave way with ridiculous ease. Sarah caught his hands around his wrists, and he felt the tremble in her fingers, saw her chest rise and fall with her breath. "Skin, sin," said Jareth, and Sarah's breath caught in her throat. Jareth met her eyes. He freed his hands and pushed her shirt open. A tiny, almost imperceptible cry left the back of Sarah's throat. When he bent down and kissed the skin between her collarbone, Sarah gasped and she felt her grip tighten around him. "Salvation…. Seduction… siren…. " said Jareth, and the rest of the shirt slid off her, lying in a helpless heap around her waist. Jareth's kisses went lower to her belly. He ignored her grip on his arms and gently bit the skin around her hips, skirting around the waistband of her skirt "And one more thing that starts with S. Can you guess what it is? Should I go any further Sarah, or should I stop and make sure you'll think of me later. Maybe I should leave you like this, let you finish up what I've started."
Sarah began to wriggle under him. Don't you dare, she wanted to shout. But she couldn't , the words, they just wouldn't come. A drop of sweat poured off her forehead. Was this carriage moving even slower now? Jareth distracted her thoughts, pressing hungrily on her breast and really getting her attention.
There was that blooming feeling again. That blossoming deep within. It was burning right through her core. He'd been toying with her all day. All day long. Layer upon layer of teasing added one on top of the other. Oh Jareth! Sarah moaned and took him by surprise. "Should I take your silence as agreement with my plan? You're very ready, my precious," murmured Jareth. "Just say that right words, and I will make you wish you could spend every single night at my side, or would you prefer under me? On top of me? The choice is yours." he said huskily.
With a force he didn't know she had, she pushed herself into him, slamming him backward on the seat of the carriage so hard that she felt it wobble. But she didn't care. Jareth couldn't believe the ecstatic sight of Sarah over him, her brown hair flying around her perfect oval face, the force of her passion when her hot lips began to kiss him viciously. She clawed at him, biting his lips and growling like an animal when he bit her back. She was burning with passion, letting it devour her, making confused sounds and breathing so hard now. Jareth felt the heat of her breath, saw the wild look in her eyes. He pulled her face back from his and searched her hazel eyes which were glassed over with ecstasy. A smile broke across his face. "I see your wild streak is still alive and well." he said, before slamming Sarah back down onto the seat and pinning her hands on either side of her head.
Red-face and sweating, Sarah didn't know what she must look like. She didn't care. She was balanced perfectly on the edge, trying desperately to reach Jareth's lips again, which he was playfully keeping just out of reach of her nips, using his strength to his advantage. This feeling. This pain. Why did it drive her so ballistic? How could she want anyone, no, need anyone's touch this much? "Now Sarah," he said, easing his body against hers, and she felt then what she didn't even need to feel, what his tight clothes had made obvious to her already and she turned her blushed face and moaned into the carriage seat. "What do you think might happen if some silly Aboveground boy pulled some silly Aboveground moves on you and seduced you away from me?"
Sarah shook her head wildly. "N… no … no one… there is no one…"
Jareth bent in to let her steal one hungry kiss. "Well it's not a chance I'm willing to take. I think I should give you a proper send off, just to make sure, don't you?"
Sarah arched her back and pushed against him. This time they landed on the floor of the carriage and Jareth sucked him breath in from the pain of the impact. "Aaah!" he said relishing the flash of pain. Sarah pinned him, her hands on his chest. "You're one to talk, I've spent the whole day listening to you talking about your various conquest. It's… it's been maddening… it's made me-"
"It's made you hot as hell by the looks of it." murmured Jareth, sinking his hands into her hair and drawing her down for a kiss. She struggled again, and it was obvious that her passion was so intense, her desire so strong, that it was flying in every direction. Her movements were frantic, confused, conflicted. She clawed at Jareth, bit at him, all the while the faintest trace of melancholy hanging in the back of each kiss. Jareth broke away from her onslaught. He rolled her control away again and lifted her back onto the seat of the carriage now. Somewhere in their passionate fight, he'd taken her bra off and she hadn't even noticed. "Sarah," he said. "Don't fight me. We aren't enemies any more."
Fire was flashing in Sarah's eyes. She was beyond caring about her messy hair, her bruised lips, her half naked body as her chest rose and fell. What a sight she was to Jareth. What an absolute treat, one he longed to sink himself into and be lost forever. "Lovers are always enemies in some way or the other, Jareth." gasped Sarah.
Jareth cocked an eyebrow "How very wise of you!" He leaned in, kissing Sarah's neck and lacing his fingers with hers, holding them in place on the seat. Sarah sank into the seat, giving in at last, letting him guide the situation. Her outburst had been building all day, and now she sat on the cusp of her burgeoning release. "Soon we'll have to part ways. And I don't know when it is I can see you again. So I want you to think of me." said Jareth, reaching the exposed skin of her breasts. He kissed his way between them. "And when you think of me, I want you to think of this." he said, teasing each nipple with his teeth. Sarah began to writhe immediately, her face burning with both desire and embarrassment. Jareth carried on licking his tongue leisurely, painfully over her, and each time he hit the nipple, Sarah let out a moan in spite of herself, tossing her head to look away. "Ah… oh God…" she breathed, squeezing her eyes and her knees shut. "I don't know why I'm here…" she whimpered, her body bucking under each of Jareth's touches.
"Yes, yes you do. This is exactly where you should be, and exactly where I should be." said Jareth, releasing one of her hands and sinking it between her legs. Sarah's knees gave out and she shifted into his touch in spite of herself, her eyes trying desperately to focus on something.
"You've got yourself into quite a state here, my darling Sarah." said Jareth. The heat was burning through her clothes. Jareth could feel all of her, so willing to be touched. So willing for so much more if she only said the right words. Sarah's hands curled into fists. "This is all your fault…" whispered Sarah, her breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts now. Jareth kept a hand there, letting it move with the motion of the carriage. The rocking created an incredible tension, gently pushing Sarah closer and closer to the edge.
Sarah let her head fall to the side. "Why do I want this, why do I want this! I shouldn't want this!" she moaned, responding to each of Jareth's movements.
"Oh how wrong you are Sarah. You want this because this is how it should be. The whole point of this enterprise was to get to know each other better, and that's what we have done. That's what we continue to do." When Jareth's hand made it past her underwear and against her bare skin, she didn't realise. But the air suddenly became very still, and Sarah could hear her ragged breathing. That's when she realised how heavy Jareth's breathing was too. He was barely touching her at first, gently circling there, her own arousal doing half the work for him.
Sarah felt herself start to go limp as Jareth began to build the pressure down there, and gasped when she felt his finger slide into her. "Jareth, don't…" she moaned, gripping the edge of the seat, her eyes shut and sweat gathering on her brow. She didn't want him to stop. But she couldn't bring herself to ask for more. "You're always so passive, my sweet thing," said Jareth, his voice husky with lust. "I plan to explore the full boundaries of just how passive you can be the next time I see you." he said. "I want to hear you beg for me, to move against my every touch. I'll bring you to that point where the right words spill from you. Do you want that?" he asked, lazily moving his finger inside her. Pleasure began to flood Sarah's body.
"Answer me, do you want me to push you to the very edge of what you know? To take you on that journey, Sarah?" asked Jareth, fondling her breast with his free hand and lowering his head to pluck at the nipple with his lips.
"Yes!" moaned Sarah. Her whole body was on fire from Jareth's layering of one pleasure over the other, but she was still playing the game. She still wouldn't move in response to him. Every fibre of her body worked to keep her hips firmly in place. She'd beat Jareth once. She'd beat him again.
"Good. You continue to resist me, and if we're to venture as far as oracles and destinies, you will have to submit to me, and I will make it happen. For now, this will have to do." said Jareth. Sarah turned her head as he began to kiss her neck, pressing into her breast with one hand. The other slowed to an agonising stop, only the movements of the carriage sending vibrations through Jareth's hand and into Sarah. She was beyond help now, Jareth saw, panting heavily , her hands in fists from the effort of not giving in to the pleasure.
Without warning, Jareth moved his lips lower and gently bit down on her breast, moving his other hand around and around, faster and faster, so fast that it overwhelmed Sarah's every sense and she arched her back and screamed as he forced her pleasure out of her. He didn't relent as her body rocked and shuddered and she tossed her head crying out in every direction. "My name, Sarah," he demanded, barely able to keep himself from giving in to his own pleasure. "Oh my God, Jareth!" Sarah moaned, and Jareth kept the pace going for a few more moments until suddenly the carriage began to slow.
A knock from the roof let Jareth know they had arrived. What bad timing. "Well, my love, I've made quite a mess of your here." said Jareth, buttoning up Sarah's shirt as she lay spent on the seat of the carriage, staring at his movements in a daze. Her eyes moved to the window and she blinked. There was the disused Underground tube station again, the one she had embarked from.
"We…. we're here?" she asked weakly.
"Unfortunately" replied Jareth. He smoothed her skirt down over her legs and grinned as he fanned her face. "You're all flushed." he said, relishing that it was he who had made her that way. Sarah could only nod, and gratefully accept the handkerchief which Jareth conjured for her.
Jareth was kneeling before her now, holding his chin as his elbow rested on his knee. His eyes were narrowed as he watched Sarah try to regain her composure. She self consciously patted her neck. "What?" she asked, smiling.
"You fight me. You don't submit to me."
"I do fight you." replied Sarah.
"It would be more fun if you didn't. Why do you fight?" asked Jareth.
Sarah shrugged. "I honestly don't know."
Jareth nodded and stood to open the carriage door. "We'll have time enough to find out on your next visit."
Sarah reluctantly shifted from her seat and got her bag. "When will I see you Jareth?"
Jareth leaned against the carriage door frame, one hand resting over the door. God, he looked so good when he did that. "I'll send word, my precious." he said gently, caressing her cheek as she moved towards the door. He tipped his head and scrutinised her. "One last touch." he said, running his hands through her hair.
Then he kissed her gently and stepped back for her to disembark. "There. That's better." said Jareth. "Off you go now."
Sarah turned to look at him one last time, drinking in all of him, before stepping onto the platform. No sooner than she did than the carriage sped off, disappearing into the dark tunnel. That's when Sarah noticed the drunk sitting at the far end of the platform. Who knew how he'd managed to get in there. He stared at her, looking completely mistified. She saw him lift his can to his nose and sniff it, then toss it onto the tracks, shaking his head and swearing as he got up to stumble away.
Sarah made her way back to her flat as if in a dream. Had any of it happened? Had any of it been real? What the hell was she getting herself into. Back home, she leaned against the door to shut it, her mind racing with hundreds of thoughts. Her little flat. This had been her world. Why did it now seem so empty? Her body was still alight from earlier, and that just made her feel lonelier than ever.
Sarah sighed a deep, full, heavy, lovelorn sigh, and got up to wash her face. That seemed a good a place as any to get back to normal life, however she was supposed to do that. It was when she looked up again that she dropped her towel and smiled. Then she began to laugh at her own reflection, her heart soaring in her chest. Her reflection laughed back with her, her reflection with its dark hair styled elaborately into that of a queen, Jareth's parting gift and his message to her. A crowning glory, just like in the magical ballroom. Sarah reached up to touch its curls and jewels, and laughed even harder.