.: Speaking About Goblins :.
Sarah opened her eyes.
At first, she did not understand who she was and where she was; primordial chaos was going on in her head, the reflection of which was clearly strewn about her room. The last thing she remembered for sure was a joke tournament between Hoggle and Didymus, during which she safely passed out. Figuring out why was not a tricky business if you calculated how much time she spent on her feet, disappearing into the Labyrinth city from night till morning.
Speaking of goblins... In the mornings, the adventure in the Labyrinth seemed like something unreal, something that hadn't happened to her, which could not have happened to anyone, to be honest. But each day, at sometime or another, somewhere on her pillow always appeared a large owl feather.
Sarah's gaze now and then clung to the streamer ribbons scattered everywhere about her room. Last night, she'd dragged the gang from the City to her room for a party night. Groaning softly in irritation, Sarah threw off the covers, noting at the same time that she had slept in her clothes. Another sign that she did not simply dream of her adventure. She'd never fallen asleep like that before, in a shirt and jeans.
The alarm clock blinked six in the morning.
"Definitely not time to get up on the weekend..." Sarah grumbled, making the bed. But she didn't want to sleep anymore and immediately set about trying to eliminate the consequences of last night's goblin party before her parents woke up. It was unlikely that either her father or her stepmother would understand her correctly about adventures, mazes, and goblins after such a frightening sight.
Speaking about goblins ... "Next time I'll force that small-minded fraternity to clean up after themselves." Sarah grinned, glancing at the statuette on the table by the mirror. And, without giving herself time to change her mind, she said, "I wish that the goblins would come and clean up this mess. Right now!"
...The miracle did not happen. Sarah even closed her eyes for several seconds, hoping that the goblins were embarrassed to touch anything while she was looking, and then she laughed softly.
"Yeah, it's not for you to clean up your messes but to steal children, huh." She stretched out thoughtfully, placing the toys in their places. "I won't even say that it's not fair..."
"You're making progress" suddenly came from behind.
Sarah whirled around but already knew whom she would see. His Majesty Jareth was leaning against the back of a chair by the mirror, tossing a crystal ball into the air.
"What did you forget here?" Sarah squinted, trying not to succumb to the hypnotic movements of the ball.
The king chuckled, and the ball disappeared. He clapped his hands twice. Streamers and footprints of boots vanished from the floor, even those scraps of wool and fluff all over the room, left by the gang of goblins. For a moment, even the memories seemed to evaporate. The room instantly returned to pre-party view.
"If you weren't serious about the consequences of my subjects' visit, I'll gladly welcome you to the Labyrinth."
"Please. This time, perhaps, I will refrain." She aimed for a sardonic tone, but there came an involuntary tremor in her voice. "Even then I bet you'll get some water from the Bog of the Eternal Stench as a souvenir for me."
"When I said that I could be cruel, I didn't mean that at all." Jareth snorted. "Only my subjects are worthy of such an honor. Besides, I have no power over you; you know that yourself."
"Then I definitely won't," Sarah confirmed, pointedly turning her back on the king to sit down on her bed. "It's not pleasant to be a puppet, you know. And I miss the bog the least."
"The swamp is not the whole world, Sarah. Even the Labyrinth is far from its limit. ...And where did you get the idea that I need a puppet?"
"'Let me command you,'" Sarah mimicked and Jareth grimaced.
"I didn't mean that..."
But Sarah shrugged in response and again replied with a quote: "'What is said is said,' Your Majesty. I'll let you know when I next decide to get rid of something."
Toby whimpered in the next room. Judging by the subsequent cease of sounds, Sarah's stepmother must have already picked him up in her arms, which meant that the baby needed no supervision from Sarah. Suddenly, she felt the craving for hot chocolate. Sparing no more than a glance in the king's direction, she headed out of the room, but Jareth immediately called out to her: "I can visit you myself. Anytime, for no reason."
The crystal ball materialized, and he tossed it up into the air, catching it each time it fell. After a moment there were two of them. Another second passed, and Sarah was still staring him down, working out the meaning behind his words. Then, the goblin king waved his hand in the air and placed a single cup of flavored hot chocolate on the table.
"...What on earth?" Sarah glanced suspiciously in the direction of the drink. "You know, I don't even remember inviting you here in the first place!"
"Not me personally, but you did for all the inhabitants of my city. Like my castle, like the Labyrinth, they are also a part of me. So, in a way, you did invite me." Jareth looked shamelessly pleased.
Sarah hissed in indignation: "In that case, I hereby forbid..." and was unceremoniously interrupted by a second cup of hot chocolate conjured by Jareth, which suddenly appeared in her hand.
"I insist on revenge." The king's voice sounded soft and yet mocking. "I admit, our acquaintance did not turn out to be very pleasant for you, but what prevents us from starting anew?"
"Why? What do you want?" Sarah ventured to try the chocolate. The drink turned out to be exactly to her tastes.
"I already said." Jareth frowned. "I'm stumped by you, and I want to figure it out."
"We've known each other for less than a month," countered Sarah.
"Sometimes that's enough to start a friendship." He leaned forward, toasting his hot chocolate mug. "Let's get to know each other better."
"Fine," Sarah found herself saying. "But you won't prevent me from living the way I want."
"I wouldn't try. The fact is that sometimes you yourself don't know what you want. That's no fault of mine."
"Then you understand me perfectly. Don't meddle in my affairs. Don't try to drag my family into the Labyrinth. Don't try trick peaches."
"Next time, I'll conjure it in chocolate." Jareth smiled charmingly, and Sarah hastily put down the mug. "Isn't it tasty?" The king laughed, watching the complex range of emotions on her face. "Don't be afraid; this has to be the most common hot chocolate. Isn't it foolish to start a new acquaintance with old tricks?"
Sarah almost gave into the impulse to shake her fist at the interloper... But her father knocked on the door and called for breakfast. Sarah immediately had to drive the ruffled, now barn owl out the window and down the rest of the chocolate in one gulp.
Going down to the dining room, Sarah thought that life was getting more interesting, ever since the goblins. And that some mistakes lead to strange but pleasant consequences.
Speaking about goblins, Jareth himself thought that the girl, under any conditions, managed to twist ropes of curiosity out of him. And also about hot chocolate, which he tasted for the first time that day. And he also solved a dilemma: either punish his subjects for the chaos they left behind, or to praise them for giving him a reason to visit the source of his curiosity.
Speaking about the goblins... They didn't get the former option from the king that time.