Chapter 2

Sarah looked at Jareth under furrowed brows. He lay in his throne, laughing to himself as he poked at passing goblins with his riding crop. She was kneeling by his throne, polishing the brass embellishments with an old cloth. This was just the first in a series of punishments given to her by the Goblin King. She had completely refused to do anything of the kind, but some magic spell was now controlling her hands, which could do nothing but obey orders.

"This is ridiculous!"She scowled. "How dare you control me like this? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Sarah breathed heavily with rising anger.

Jareth didn't even look at her as he spoke "I'm King of the Goblins, little girl, and I can control your mouth quite as easily. I'd mind what you say from now on."

"Where's Hoggle?" She shouted.

Jareth turned to look at Sarah and shot daggers with his eyes. "You have the insolence to raise your voice to me?" He looked away again quickly and stood with his back to her before walking towards a large archway that exited the throne room. Sarah looked down at her hands still, polishing, when she unexpectedly heard him speak again from the archway.

"Your friend is fine." He stated. "Threatening him has become tiresome, I have far better things to do." He turned to leave, and with an almost undetectable flick of his wrist, broke the spell that held Sarah in it's clutches. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and sat on one of the steps with some goblins, resting her chin in her hands, wondering what to do next.

What Sarah would never know, is that for a small moment before Jareth left, he stood and watched her. Though he didn't want to admit it, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, she was loyal, kind and courageous, her smile could light up a room. He hated her for the way she could make him feel, he hated himself most of all.

Sarah looked to the fuzzy little goblin that sat next to her. "Do you have any idea how I get back Aboveground?" She asked. "Sure lady!" He replied "It's through that door!" Sarah thanked him and left, only to find she had arrived somewhere in the labyrinth gardens, and no closer to home. Before cursing her situation, she decided to use this opportunity to go and look for Hoggle, and make sure that he was indeed unharmed and unbogged.

X X X

Jareth swept up the spiral stairs towards his study, his dark cloak fluttering behind him. Kicking open the old wooden door he stepped inside, before conjuring a crystal within his hand and shattering it against a wall, greatly startling his faithful adviser, Simkins, who sat in the corner reading over half-moon glasses.

"What ails you, Your Majesty?" He queried meekly.

"Am I not a great and powerful king?" He turned to his adviser.

"Undoubtedly Your Highness!" He stood and bowed to his king.

"Then tell me why, why am I weakened by that insolent girl? I swore I would never be made a fool of again. Why has she come back into my life when I tried to forget? I must be rid of her!"

"Ah yes, the Lady Sarah." Spoke Simkins. "Perhaps it would be best to send the young lady back Aboveground, yes?"

"You're quite right, I don't know what I was thinking...but she needed to be punished, Headstrong woman! I think now she must have learned her lesson, I shall return her immediately!" With that Jareth turned and descended the stairs back to the throne room, only to find she had disappeared.

He demanded from his goblins to be told where she had gone. They all pointed to the door that she had stepped through, a door which was in fact magical, and would transport anyone who walks through it to the place they most wished to be. He slumped back in his throne to conjure another crystal and find out where she was, fully expecting to see her back home in her bedroom, where he could breathe relief and begin forgetting her again. To his amazement, he instead saw her wandering through a Labyrinth garden, the very same one he sat in when his heart shattered into pieces. He'd never been back to that garden since that night.

Jareth shrugged, it was no matter, just another memory to darken his day. Jareth could never have guessed that as Sarah wandered through that doorway, that instead of thinking of home, she only wished to understand that sad look deep in Jareth's eyes, and so arrived at the place where it had begun.

Jareth put the crystal away. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he wouldn't watch her this time, 'let Hoggle find her' he thought to himself, 'he can lead her back home.' Resuming his kingly posture he grinned and addressed his goblin court.

"That silly girl has lost herself in the Labyrinth again!" He laughed. "Well?" He admonished, and so the goblins laughed heartily with him. Jareth called for barrels of ale, to the delight of the goblins, and partaking of a mug or two himself, he sat lounging in his throne. The heavy buzz of goblin ale managed to ease his mind, and in a bid to avoiding any thoughts of Sarah, contemplated the stars, and recalled to himself each of their beautiful names.

X X X

Sarah wandered through hedges and passed great stone obelisks, calling out Hoggle's name. She'd been walking for about an hour already. She slumped herself down, exhausted.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" An ancient creaking voice asked. Sarah jumped up in alarm and turned, realising she had in fact sat in the lap of some gnarled, twisted old creature, though he looked more tree than man.

"I beg your pardon!" Sarah apologized, dusting her hands over the thick root like knees of the tree man to show her respect. "I didn't know you were alive!"

"No I shouldn't think you would." The tree grumbled "You don't look like you'd know much of anything."

Sarah frowned but stayed quiet. The tree man continued. "What brings you here child? It's not often the king allows fresh meat to just wander my way." The tree man licked his crackled warty lips. Sarah stepped back, her eyes wide.

"You...eat people?" She sputtered.

"When the chance comes my dear…" The tree man began to move, wrenching his twisted limbs and twigs from the wall he grew against, ready to stand and pursue his victim. Sarah looked around her, to find the hedges had moved in, blocking her way out, she was trapped.

"Hoggle!" She screamed.

X X X

Jareth was feeling dizzy from the ale, and decided to retire to his chambers. He rested on the ledge of the adjoining balcony, and looked out over the Goblin City. Night would come soon to the Labyrinth. Jareth watched as goblins wandered here and there, falling over broods of waddling chickens as they attempted to light the gas lamps. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Why couldn't he get her out of his head?

With a growl of defeat, he conjured a crystal to see where she was. He could see her in the garden, terrified and calling for Hoggle. "Oh god! Old Father Willow!" Jareth cried, before disappearing in a shower of glitter. He appeared in the Labyrinth garden just behind Sarah, the very moment the spindly hand of Old Father Willow reached towards Sarah's neck. In a flash Jareth wrapped his arms around Sarah, pulling her back. They both collapsed upon the ground. Jareth lifted his hand and placed a spell over the tree man, who then stood motionless, frozen in time.

Sarah lay on top of Jareth, breathing heavily. She was trembling within his grasp, and with a slight whimper grabbed a fistful of his silk shirt, a voiceless thank you. As he held her within his arms, Jareth could feel her energy pulsing through him like electricity. Beneath his tensed muscles he felt her vulnerability, her delicate feminine frame and soft curves. He longed to squeeze her closer to him, to bury his head in her hair, but instead he frowned and stood abruptly, nonchalantly helping Sarah to her feet.

"I assure you of Hoggle's safety." He said. "Go home Sarah." He put his hands on her shoulders, and in a dizzying swirl, Sarah found herself back in her bedroom, she looked to the clock, not even a minute had gone by since she'd been away. She dusted herself down and sat to reapply her makeup, ready for her play.

X X X

Sarah woke from her sleep that night in a cold sweat. She was dreaming about the tree man. Waking up in her own bed was little comfort, she felt cold and lonely. Snuggling deeper into her quilt, a thought surfaced to her brain, she knew then what she really needed, the strong, capable arms of the Goblin King.