Five days passed far too quickly for Jareth's liking. None of it was to his liking, truth be told. He was not thrilled by the idea of Sarah traipsing through a part of the labyrinth where, even in owl form, he could not reach her. Not to mention that, selfishly, he'd hoped they would have more time together before being separated for an unknown length of time.
The days passed in a flurry of activity. Sarah spent most of her time training, both physically, under the close eye of Nzeogwu, and magically, with Jareth. Several times a day, Jareth and Sarah's preparation efforts were interrupted by Taka, who brought them all kinds of information on subjects pertaining to blood magic, the labyrinth, and changeling lore.
With regard to the latter, Taka confirmed that changelings were, indeed, fae reborn as humans. Even more interestingly, since the rebirth was not a destruction of the original fae, any magical bonds created during the fae's lifetime would survive, though they would be greatly weakened.
"So, with regard to your—ah—prior marriage," Taka said, "It seems you both have a choice. In your current state, you are linked, but not strongly enough to where, should one of you perish, the other would as well. Likewise, neither of your magic is strengthened by your bond to the other. You can continue in your present state, or perform the nuptial ritual again, which would create a new bond between you."
Sarah appeared relieved by this news. As she'd put it, half-jokingly "now I don't need to worry about you if I encounter some life-threatening danger in the labyrinth." Jareth found nothing remotely funny about the prospect of her risking her life while he stayed behind.
Saresh had chosen Ludo and Sonya to join Raelia, Jarvi, and Sarah on their quest for the heart of the Labyrinth. Personally, Jareth would have preferred Nzeogwu to Sonya, but Saresh had insisted that, without a healer, the castle needed strong defenses. And lightning was a close second to fire, even if Sonya was a bit inexperienced as a fighter and magic user.
On the other hand, Ludo was a choice of which he very much approved. A rock caller would come in handy, particularly if they were to venture inside the stone walls of the labyrinth. Not to mention that the good Dr. Ludlow was close friends with both Saresh and Sarah after their last adventure in the labyrinth. A little third-party supervision did make him feel a bit better about entrusting Saresh with Sarah's safety.
Now, on the eve of Sarah's departure, Jareth felt lost in a sea of conflicting thoughts. He had been the one to tell her that she had a destiny here—that he needed her to fix whatever was wrong with the labyrinth's magic. I just never assumed that she would do it without me.
Jareth returned to his tower room to find Sarah in the bedroom, packing the last of her things. The group had determined to travel light, reserving most of the space in their packs for food and water. Sarah had gotten much better at conjuring magical weapons in the past few days, so she packed only few changes of clothes—her signature white chemise and couple pairs of dark breeches. On the bed, she smoothed out her white vest, patterned with gold swirls.
"I figured I'd wear it since it got me through the last time." She said with her back to him, tugging at a loose thread. "I'm leaving my jeans though. Trying to run in those wasn't exactly comfortable."
Jareth closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Promise me you won't run headlong into danger. Promise me that—if something happens, you, Saresh, and the others will come back immediately."
"Jareth. I will come back."
It wasn't exactly the promise he was looking for. But, then, he'd never truly been able to stop Sarah when she was determined to do something. And that night in the library, she'd made it clear that nothing he could do or offer her would keep her from going without him.
As though she could sense his turmoil, she turned in his arms to face him, looking intently into his eyes while she caressed his cheek.
"I'm not the same girl that I was last time. I know that the labyrinth is dangerous. I know not to take things for granted."
"But neither of us know what awaits inside the walls. I can't protect you like last time—"
"Need I remind you about the cleaners—"
Jareth had no response to that. She had escaped certain death more than once during her last run, several times at his own, magically-controlled hand. He released her from his embrace, retreating to the adjacent sitting room. It only took him a moment to find what he was looking for—a small leather pouch. When he turned, he saw that Sarah had followed him, standing in the doorway separating the bedroom from the sitting room.
He crossed back towards her, opening the pouch and removing its contents, a single, spherical crystal.
"Then take this with you. If something should happen and you cannot return, hold this in your hand and and think of me."
She nodded her assent, and he placed the crystal back in its pouch, handing it to her.
"One more thing," he said, reaching into his pocket. He got down on one knee, holding his mother's wedding ring out to her.
"Jareth—"
"I'm not asking you to decide. Just take it with you. Please."
"Alright," she said, taking the ring. She retreated into the bedroom for a moment. When she reemerged, she had slipped the ring onto a silver chain, which sat around her neck.
She pulled Jareth to his feet, placing a soft kiss on his lips.
"I don't want you to worry about me," She said.
"You know I will no matter what you say."
"Fine, then let's not discuss it any further," she said pulling him into an embrace.
He swept her feet out from under her, holding her in his arms. A mischievous smirk on his face
"There is one more thing I need to take care of before I let you go."
"Oh? And what did you have in mind?" She asked, her tone and the look in her eyes suggesting that she knew full well where this was headed.
"I'm going to give you a few good reasons to hurry back."
The next morning Jareth and the departing Order members gathered in the throne room. Jareth hid his concern for Sarah and the others behind a carefully practiced expression. He and Sarah had said their farewells the night before, and it would do no good to let his emotions get the best of him now.
The Order members each carried enough food and water to last them a week in their packs. Jareth sincerely hoped the journey would take less time than that. He cleared his throat.
"You all know the task ahead. I cannot say it will be easy, but I wish you all success, and a safe return."
The Order members all placed their right fist over their hearts, bowing their heads slightly, a gesture of respect that had caught on since Raelia's return. The gesture wasn't the only thing resurrected from the old days of the Order. At Raelia's request, Jareth had the goblin seamstresses fashion new uniforms for the Order out of red and gold brocade, similar the ones they'd seen in Raelia's memory. Each Order member was given a say in the construction of their particular uniform, making each tailored to suit the needs of the individual wearing it. He had to admit, the effect was striking.
Saresh closed his eyes, placing his hand on the handle of the large throne room door. A golden light shimmered slightly over the surface as he worked his magic.
"It's ready," Saresh said, opening his eyes and turning the door handle. Bright morning light streamed into the throne room, the outer wall of the labyrinth stretched before them.
"This will take us just inside the outermost gate," Saresh continued. "From there, it's on you, Sarah."
"Guess that means I'd better take the lead," Sarah said, adjusting her pack on her shoulder. With a quick backward glance at Jareth, she stepped though the portal.
The rest of the Order followed in quick succession, until only Jareth and Saresh were left. Before Saresh could cross through the portal, Jareth grabbed his hand.
"I know you still care for her. Promise me if anything happens you'll—"
"—I'll get her out," Saresh said, his gaze fixed on the portal, "I swear it."
Jareth clasped the other man's hand in his.
"Thank you."
He released Saresh's hand, and the dark haired Prince crossed through the portal, closing the door behind him. Jareth was tempted, for a moment, to throw the throne room door back open, but he knew they would be gone.
Time to turn to other matters. While Sarah and the Order went to find the heart of the labyrinth, Jareth had charged himself with finding a way to breach Mal Morcant's blockade. If he could reach the other fae nobles whose kingdoms had been taken by Morcant, perhaps they could help overthrow the warlord's forces. Certainly he couldn't entrust the goblin army alone to deal with the threat. After all, they had failed to keep out a teenage girl.
It was time for the fae to fight back. He had remained silent in the shadow of Mal Morcant long enough.