A/N: Aaaaaaaand here Jareth gets a taste of his own medicine. A bajillion thanks to Dea Mariella, who has been super supportive since the beginning and is my beta reader through these last chapters. Dea prompted massive improvements to this scene alone. Thanks soooo much!
Jareth found himself at the entrance of a great ballroom. It was hung with long velvet drapes and snow fell outside against a full moon. The hall itself was a checkerboard of white and black marble, polished to such a clear sheen that the dancers before him seemed to be mirrored on the floor. He caught a reflection of himself, clothed richly in white and gold, a circlet of golden leaves upon his brow. The White King.
And where have you gone, Dark Queen? He made his way through the crowds, wary of the other dancers. Those in white bowed to him in deference, but those in black stared at him in defiance. Dark valkyries ringed the room, and he felt the full weight of their attention. I take it you're still angry with me, Precious.
He slowly made his way across the floor, searching for a sign of her. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red, then gold, a shimmer of dark hair. He turned to follow, but blocking his way was a tall, proud woman in a somber priestess' robe, her hand outstretched.
"You must join the game to reach her, White King," she said, her dark eyes showing no emotion.
Jareth took her hand and found himself caught up in the dance, struggling to keep up with the dark priestess who showed no sign of fatigue.
"How will you prove yourself here, Goblin King?" she finally asked. "In this place where you have no power?"
"I have not come to conquer, but to submit." he answered.
She paused, a cold smile curling upon her lips. "Bold, foolish words from a betrayer. Submission is death in the realm of Winter." She pulled a crystalline dagger from within her robes and made to thrust it into his side.
He whirled away just in time and the priestess stumbled from the black square where they stood onto white and she vanished in a cloud of dark smoke. As he caught his breath and scanned the crowd for the flash of crimson, another creature approached him: this time a great raven clothed in white.
"My liege," rasped the bird-headed man, bowing. "I will protect you until I fall." He turned into the dance and began to cut a straight path through them with his long spear.
They made progress through the throng until out of nowhere a dark, winged knight dove between them. The rook turned to defend itself but too late – the valkyrie bashed him with her shield, knocking his spear from his hand. She cleaved through him with one great slash and he vanished. She turned wild eyes onto Jareth and grinned.
"What have we here...the enemy within our midst? Shall I take your head back to the Queen? It will make her smile, I think." With a battle cry she charged at him.
His body moving faster than his mind, Jareth dove for the spear of the vanquished rook and blocked the valkyrie's attack just as it fell. She jumped back, weaving in and out of the dancers, lethal and cunning in her attacks. Jareth tried to summon his magic to aid his senses, or to imbue the spear, but here he was almost as powerless as the first day Sarah had set foot in his prison. Still, long years of hard-fought battles returned to his aid as he faced the knight.
Sarah's army is formidable… I'd never dreamed she'd amass such a force in such a short-
Pain sang up his arm as his reflexes saved him again, catching the valkyrie's shield as she hurtled down at him from above. The spear split the shield as it buried itself deep into the heart of the knight, and she too vanished.
He knelt, taking a shuddering breath for a moment, feeling his now useless arm for injury. Slowly the abused tissues began to come alive in painful bursts of feeling and he found that he was able to flex his gloved hand. When he rose, he found himself surrounded by an entourage of short, pale goblins in white livery.
No question, this is an enchanted dream… never has any goblin ever been THAT clean.
"Goblin King, we salute ye!" said the tallest, his crest of chicken feathers quivering with pride. "We await yer command!"
"I must stand before the Queen."
The lead goblin shivered. "It might be the last thing ye do, yer Majesty."
"Indeed. Still, it is my only wish."
"Suit yerself then."
Jareth followed them through the crowd with a mix of trepidation and amusement. However, he found that the goblins had a preternatural ability for chaos and misdirection. They were confronted by several dark players, all of whom were tricked and overcome by the small band of misfits surrounding him. The flashes of red and gold became more frequent, until finally the dancers parted to reveal Sarah walking slowly towards him.
She was clothed in a dark, glittering gown that looked like dragon scales. The bodice of the gown bloomed into scarlet, her skin stark against the color of blood. Her raven hair tumbled over her shoulders like an iridescent cascade and she was crowned by a golden circlet that matched his own. Her eyes were glowing and impossibly cold. Every inch an Unseelie queen.
"Well played…a king could never take a queen without resorting to trickery." she said, glancing down to the goblins at his feet.
He bowed before her. "Nor without great personal risk. I concede my weakness." He rose again, a guarded expression on his face. Your move now, Precious.
Without a word she held a hand out to him, a gesture of command. He took it and bowed over it and they began to dance. The air around them grew frigid, and he felt the deathly chill of her skin even through his gloves.
"Tell me, Jareth," she said, biting off each word, "Answer thrice true. What were you trying to accomplish by sending me here?"
He flinched as her magic eclipsed his own, binding him in an icy snare. With great effort he managed to answer clearly. "The dark road is the key to overthrowing the Labyrinth. Tracing the path out of the Labyrinth is the only way to unravel its power."
"And why did you do this?"
"I had thought you already ensnared as I am, but once I realized you had the ability to walk this path, I had to take the chance. Hekate's children are known for their power over secrets, over lost ways, and are some of the few who have ever been able to control the Labyrinth. I knew that it would be your only chance at freedom, if I could show you the way."
He watched her process this information, mildly surprised that she didn't seem shocked by the revelation. Her face hardened and she opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. She paused, taking a deep breath, then raised her emerald eyes to meet his and asked her final question:
"And what in all the hells do you want out of all of this?"
Reflexively he fought the answer for a moment, but the pull of her geas was too strong. "I want you, by my side," he answered hoarsely. "I care not how or where. If you wish to join me here and rule over creation I would conquer it for you. If you wish to live as a mortal, I would stay by your side as long as I draw breath. Only say that I may." A calm settled over him as the truth echoed around the now empty ballroom, and he allowed one small, real smile to reach his lips. How long has it been since I could tell the unvarnished truth?
"Thrice answered," she whispered, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. She kissed him, the fierce cold of her magic lancing through his body. He felt as if he were drowning in an icy sea.
He gasped for air and found himself lying on the floor of his own solar, alone in a serpentine tracery of frost.
A/N: So, do you think the truth is good enough to get Jareth back in Sarah's good graces, or will prompt her to take the freedom he has fought so hard to give her? We shall see.
