Chapter V
Jareth's convalescence passed quickly. Sarah remained
by his side, quietly waiting as he slept, taking her meals with him when
he ate, and reading aloud to him as he rested. To himself, Jareth wondered
when she ever rested, for her tired eyes told him that she had been neglecting
herself. But a private conversation with Talius revealed just how stubborn
the youthful brunette still was--she could not be deterred. He instructed
Talius to make her rest at any cost, but to no avail. She was insistent.
Which made Jareth wonder a great deal...
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"Jareth, wait! You need help..." She reached for
his arm.
He pulled away from her reaching grasp, "Sarah--don't.
I can do this myself."
"No, you can't." She reached for him again, only
to be met with an icy glare. She held up her hands in surrender. "Alright,
fine. Do it yourself."
She tensed as she watched him make his way slowly
down the staircase, fighting the urge to follow behind him--just in case.
When he reached the landing, he turned in time to see her visibly relax,
flashing a sparkling smile down the stairs to where he waited. She rushed
down after him, laughing softly.
"I suppose I ought to learn to not doubt your abilities,
Jareth."
The faintest glimmer of a smile crossed his lips,
then vanished. "Never, Sarah--never doubt my abilities."
There was a certain note in his voice that made
her shiver. Somehow, she knew they were not talking about the same thing
anymore. In an effort to avoid the implications his comment carried with
it, she changed topics.
"What--what would you like to do now? Do you feel
like resting? Are you hungry? I can get one of the goblins--" She stammered
in her haste.
He stared at her unflinchingly. "Sarah, I believe
we have something that needs discussion."
Her eyes clouded with confusion. "What is it?"
"In private, Sarah."
She nodded. "Where?"
He held out a hand to her. "The Labyrinth."
She froze, her hand in mid-air. "The Labyrinth?
Why? What's there?"
"Something you may want to see." Taking her hand,
the pair faded from view into a shimmering light.
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Out in the Labyrinth, all was quiet. No birds, no
wind. No goblins.
Sarah was immediately grateful for the silence.
They had been walking for a short time in the Courtyard.
The old man and his bird-hat were nowhere to be seen. As they passed through
yet another corridor of shrubbery, and into an open area, Jareth stopped
short and led her to a nearby bench. She took the proffered seat and looked
up into his eyes.
"Jareth, what is it?"
"Michael." It was all he said. Sarah felt her blood
run cold.
"What did you do to him?"
He hesitated, then sighed. "I put him in an oubliette."
She paused, recalling how frightening oubliettes
could be--and Michael did not have the help of anyone. There was no Hoggle
to rescue him. He didn't even believe in the Labyrinth. How horrifying...
"I want to see him."
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Michael lay in a corner of the oubliette, curled
into a tiny ball. Sarah felt a sudden rush of pity for him. *He must be
terrified. I was in there for only a little while, and he's been there
for--* She realized that she didn't even know how long he'd been there.
She squeezed Jareth's hand, and he dragged his gaze from the crystal in
his palm to her eyes.
"Let him go," she whispered, "just send him home."
"Why, Sarah? He struck you--how can you possibly
want to help him?"
"I'm not helping him. I just want him gone. Send
him back. Erase me from his memories." She paused, remembering the pain
and humiliation she'd felt at Michael's hands. "But leave his fear. Let
him be afraid. But don't let him remember why."
Jareth gave a curt nod, and the crystal's image
swirled. Michael vanished.
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"Sarah--why do you not hate me anymore?"
His question caught her off-guard. She put aside
her book and looked across the room to where he lounged in a great, carved
chair. "What?"
He looked up and met her gaze. "I asked--"
"I heard what you asked, Jareth. But I wonder why
you ask it."
He broke away from her eyes, looking instead out
the window to his right. "It is only that I wonder what keeps you here.
If I remember correctly," he turned to smile knowingly at her, "I was not
so well-received before." She blushed, turning her head as he continued.
"You are at liberty to leave if you wish--yet you stay. I am uncertain
of why."
She looked back at him. "I was unaware that I could
leave." Her voice was flat, her eyes empty.
He was visibly taken aback. Gathering composure,
he stood, looking down at her. "I brought you here against your will. You
may leave if you so desire."
Sarah remained motionless. "Very well." Then she
picked up her book again and resumed reading. Watching Jareth stand in
the edge of her vision, she sighed and put aside her book once more. "If
you're wondering what I meant by that, I'll tell you. Jareth, when we first
met those years ago, I was acting out of selfishness. I sent Toby here,
so I had to bring him back. I was angry, but it was my fault. You were
doing what you always do. How can I blame for you that now?" She paused.
"There is nothing left for me there. My father is gone, I never see what's
left of my family, and my life isn't exactly going anywhere. But this place--here,
I have friends. I don't plan on leaving."
Jareth never answered. He only walked across the
room to where she sat, cupped her chin in one hand, and drew a crystal
from the air with the other. With a faint smile playing on his features,
he tossed the crystal into the air--it exploded with brilliant whiteness.
She remembered nothing more than a sound like music.
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