Chapter III
For three days, Sarah never caught so much as a glimpse
of the Goblin King. She dined alone in the great hall every day, spending
the remainder of her time sitting in her--his room, looking out over the
Labyrinth.
She'd found a few books, and had tried to read them,
but they couldn't keep her attention. She'd put them aside, realizing that
it was a waste of time trying to read when her mind was elsewhere.
She waited.
Jareth had kept his word, providing her with everything
that she needed and could possibly want. He had given her a number of lovely
frocks, but it seemed pointless to change into the stunning dinner gowns
when there was no one to see her in them. The goblins attended her, and
she had attempted to learn where Jareth was, but each time she asked one
of them, the goblin in question would flee from the room, the others close
behind. Exasperated, she surrendered to the madness of the place.
By morning on the fourth day, Sarah had had enough.
As she dressed, she wondered what to do. *I suppose I could do some exploring…may
as well learn my way around, since I've no way to know how long he intends
to keep me here…*
She began by finding her way to the throne room.
From there, she wandered through a doorway and found herself in the Escher
room. It had been rebuilt. She gaped in awe once more at the staircases
and doorways leading nowhere. It was incredible. As she stood there, memories
hurled themselves into the forefront of her thoughts.
*I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations
of me…*
She walked through the room quietly, as though she
were afraid of waking some horrible beast from it's slumber--all the while
remembering. She paused on one of the landings overlooking the entirety
of the room.
*Just fear me, love me--do as I say, and I will
be your slave…*
She hurried down the stairs, rushing from the room--trying
to escape Jareth's voice. She ran to the window in the far wall of the
throne room, leaning out. She looked out over the Goblin City, it's walls,
and beyond those--the Labyrinth. Jareth's voice seemed to be whispering
in her ear.
*Look what I'm offering you…*
She sighed.
"Jareth, where are you?"
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Footsteps.
Sarah spun around.
Jareth stood in the doorway, more bedraggled than
before. His face was drawn, clothes wrinkled and askew, and--worst of all--his
eyes were empty. There was no anger in them, no malice, no mocking humor.
No life.
Sarah shuddered.
He looked at her tiredly for a long moment, finally
turning his back on her and walking away. She hesitated for a second before
running after him, quickly crossing the wide stone floor. She reached the
doorway just in time to see Jareth collapse against the wall and tumble
down the staircase.
Fear gripped her with an iron hand. She screamed,
running to his side--cradling his head in her lap until help arrived. Sarah
murmured a word of thanks to the heavens that the goblins had enough sense
to realize the urgency of what happened.
She stood to the side, trembling, as the guards
carried him away. Only then did she see the dark stain his blood had made
on the front of her gown. Her eyes drifted back in the direction that they
had taken him. An unnoticed tear slipped down her cheek. *Oh, Jareth…*
Burying her face in her hands, she staggered back against the wall and
crumpled to the floor, the tears now flowing freely.
*What have I done?*
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"I'm assuming that you are the young woman who found
him?"
Sarah's head snapped up, coming face-to-face with
a little old man who was very peculiar looking, indeed.
He smiled kindly, his face crinkling up. "I'm Talius,
the royal physician."
She delivered a weak smile. "I'm Sarah. And yes,
I'm the one. Only I didn't find him, I saw him fall."
"You did? What happened?"
Sarah related the incident to him, careful to include
every detail--no matter how irrelevant it may have seemed. When she finished,
he nodded.
"I see. That is a great help to me, my dear. I was
unaware that he had not been resting. How long has this been going on?"
"About two weeks, I think."
"You're unsure?"
"I was unconscious for a time--I don't know how
long. Jareth had put me in his room. He said that was the reason he hadn't
been sleeping."
Talius smiled knowingly. "I believe there's more
to it than that, my lady." He patted her on the hand. "I think you should
go in and sit with him. It may help to speed his recovery."
Sarah grasped for words. "Will he--will he be all
right?"
"I believe so, my dear. He will be unconscious for
a time, but I feel that there has been no severe damage done to him." Talius
frowned. "Your dress, on the other hand, is quite another matter."
She laughed nervously.
"I believe you're right, Talius. If you would be
so kind as to sit with him until I return, I'll hurry and change." He nodded,
and she sent one of her goblin maids inside Jareth's room to fetch a dress
for her. When the little goblin came back out, Sarah thanked Talius again
before leaving to change in the study a few doors down. She returned a
few minutes later and quietly entered Jareth's chambers. Talius glanced
up, and seeing her, excused himself. As he passed her, he took Sarah's
hand and whispered to her.
"He will survive, my lady. Never fear. Jareth is
a strong man."
She smiled kindly at the old doctor as he left the
room. Breathing deeply, she turned to look at Jareth.
He was very pale--his fair skin and blond hair contrasting
sharply with the black linens and midnight blue velvet of his bed. There
were dark, heavy circles beneath his eyes, and a gash made an ugly mark
across his sculpted brow. He looked so peaceful lying there.
Sarah was suddenly possessed with the desire to
hold his hand. She had done it so often during her father's last days,
and the contact brought her comfort. Taking her place in the chair by his
side, she reached for his hand, bringing it to rest in hers. She saw, as
she sat there, that Jareth had lovely hands. She traced the lines of his
palm, touching each finger gently, inwardly marveling at the perfection
of him, oblivious to the fact that this was the first time she'd ever seen
him without gloves.
Her eyes drifted to his face, and she whispered.
"I'm here, Jareth."
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