A drabble sequence (exactly 100 words each) written for my friend, Ultra, for the 2021 Multifandom Drabble exchange.
A Second Chance at Forever
Even years later, he was still on her mind.
The Goblin King had haunted Sarah's dreams ever since her return, but not in the nightmarish way that she would've expected after such an ordeal. No...instead they were wistful ones that didn't disperse upon awakening, that lingered in the back of her mind throughout the day, and that provoked a sort of longing for something...or someone...she just couldn't have.
It made her wonder if she'd possibly made the wrong decision back then. Maybe she had got it all wrong. Perhaps Jareth really hadn't been the villain after all.
She was always on his mind.
The human female had dwelled in Jareth's thoughts ever since she had the audacity to try and reclaim what she had foolishly...if unknowingly...given away. Not only that, but she had befriended his minions, beaten his Labyrinth, and faced him without fear. Sarah had dazzled him with her beauty and determination...and had proven she had the makings of a true queen.
However, she'd apparently been unable to understand...or accept...what he'd offered her in reward. Consequently, he reluctantly honored their deal and let her go...but he had never forgotten her.
Sarah tried to forget him. She tried to focus on someone...anyone...else. However, the distractions never lasted. After all, how could a high school boy first...or a college student next...or even a young business man later...ever compare to the most powerful, intriguing, and gorgeous being she'd ever met?
They couldn't.
Therefore, Jareth continued to occupy her thoughts...and that secret place in her heart that had formed when she'd finally realized that what he'd actually offered to her at the time was himself.
Nevertheless, she also knew that it was far too late to have regrets.
Jareth had given others the chance to run the Labyrinth since Sarah. However, nobody had made the kind of impression on his mind...or in his heart...the way that she had. Therefore...when he dispensed justice afterwards...he always wondered what she would say to the supplicants if she'd stayed there by his side as Queen. Then he would smile in a mysterious way...before he let them go free.
He knew it was what Sarah would've done.
Besides, he had enough annoying goblins in his realm. He really didn't need to add any more to their immortal ranks.
An older, wiser Sarah...after yet another lackluster date with an extremely tedious (hu)man...sat down at her vanity. It was the same one, moved from her father's home years earlier, in which she had seen her friends from the Labyrinth before her last visit with them. After just a moment of hesitation...while she considered what...whom...she really wanted in life, she raised her fingers to the glass and finally gave into the temptation that she had fought against for years.
"Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be, now I wish that you would take me!"
Even from his castle in the Labyrinth's center, Jareth immediately noted the words he'd long desired to hear from the one whom he wanted above all others. Consequently, he transformed himself into an owl and swiftly flew to her.
Upon his return to manly form, Sarah rushed into his arms without hesitation. Jareth gleefully drew his beloved close and sealed his promise to her whispered wish to remain with him always with a searing kiss. Then he magically whisked her away again so they could finally enjoy their second chance at forever as the King...and Queen...of the Goblins.