Title: Say The Words (Part Three)
Author: Amber
Distribution: Email me first (Arrilyn@hotmail.com), but other than that, all I ask is that my name and email addy be left attached!
Disclaimer: Same as last time! Labyrinth and all its characters belong to Jim Henson and Lucasfilm(s?).. I own nothing, and I'm not looking to get any profit from this story! Heh...like anyone would wanna pay to read this!
Summary: Another one of those 'alternate ending' type fics, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! More conflict between Jareth and Sarah...and this might not seem like it's going anywhere right now, LoL, but it will be!
A/N: If you didn't read Parts One or Two, I suggest you go do that RIGHT NOW before you read this part! I don't know if it would keep you from understanding anything in this bit of the story, but what's the fun of skipping to the middle of a story?? But anyway, part of the beginning is a songfic in a way, because I thought it up while listening to a sound on the Labyrinth soundtrack! From about halfway through the second paragraph (the sentence that begins with 'the sun'), if you want to listen to what I listened to, then go to Track 4 ('Sarah') and fast-forward to about 1:03 (I'm being exact, hehe)...in my imagination, the part of the song at that point reminds me of good background music while she's looking out the window! ;) And now on with the story!
Sarah awoke as the vestiges of night were being slowly washed away by encroaching dawn. She'd never woken up so early before, but she'd had a fitful night of sleep…if tossing, turning, and an abundance of nightmares could be termed as 'sleep'. She was plagued by worries for her friends, her brother, and also by that strange sadness that she couldn't help feeling for the Goblin King. It was his own fault he had no friends, she understood, but she suddenly realized how absolutely lonely his life must be, having no one to talk to or confide in. Were it not for their present situation, she might have found herself trying to befriend the aloof man…but they were rivals in nearly every sense of the word, and so friendship was impossible.
Tossing back the covers, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and shivered as the floor's chill seeped through her feet. Looking down, she noticed a delicate pair of slippers, decorated with fine silver thread, which had been placed beside her bed. She welcomed their protection against the cold floor even as she wondered how they got to be there…and why couldn't they have been there before this morning, since she certainly could have used them! Must be something to do with the power from this pendant, she mused, walking over to the window. Pushing back the wispy curtains, she involuntarily drew a sharp breath at the view afforded her. The sun was finally peeking over the horizon, ever so slowly bathing the quaint city below with warm golden light. Building by building, the sun seemed to touch the rooftops and dispell the lingering shadows of night. Even the Labyrinth's complex corridors and passageways were burnished with golden hues, softening the otherwise harsh and unwelcome vista.
"I'll paint you mornings of gold…"
The moment should have been spoiled once those words came back to her, but strangely, it made the scene below all the more beautiful. Why, she couldn't really say, but she'd never had anyone offer to do such romantic things as what Jareth had promised her in that song. The morning certainly had been painted with gold, and even though she knew Jareth had nothing to do with the breathtaking view (did he?), she couldn't help thinking back to his poetic words. She wished the moment could last longer, but the sun was rising quickly now, and the warm gold accents on the buildings below had dulled into an ordinary yellow. Sarah sighed regretfully as the magic faded and turned away from the window, walking over to her bureau so she could brush her hair. The silver-backed brush glided easily through her dark locks, snagging once or twice on a tangle before continuing. She stared wistfully at her reflection in the mirror, wishing both to be home in her own comfortable room and to find out where her friends were. The only thing she could figure out was that they were hiding from Jareth…and with plans like those he had for them, who wouldn't want to hide?
"I know I didn't say anything to them to make them angry," she murmured to herself, her brushstrokes now completely mechanical as her thoughts strayed. "What exactly did I say to them just before leaving?" So many things had happened since that time that she could hardly remember much of anything before her confrontation with Jareth. But what were the words she used? She knew words meant a lot in this world; maybe something she said was keeping them away from her…
"I have to face him alone."
"But why?"
"Because that's the way it's done."
"Well if that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it. But…should you need us…"
"Yes, should y'need us…"
"I'll call!" Sarah suddenly cried out, dropping her brush. She laughed out loud with relief, realizing now why she hadn't heard from Hoggle, Ludo, or Didymus. They were waiting for her to call them, and until she did, they would probably remain hidden! But now came another problem. How could she get to them without Jareth following her and somehow getting to them first? She knew he would take any advantage afforded to him, and in his mind, she was probably the best way to get to the three 'traitors'.
If I call them from the castle, they'll definitely get caught…and if I go out into the Labyrinth again, I'm sure Jareth or one of his goblins will follow me and try to catch them before I can. Maybe I can pretend I'm not looking for them, and he'll stop following me…or I could sneak out at night…
The latter option appealed to her the most. Not that she particularly wanted to be out there in the dark, but at least then Jareth was likely to be asleep, which would give her a better chance at finding her friends safely. And the goblins slept whether it was night or day, so she felt little apprehension about them. Besides, she'd bested them once on the way into the Goblin City, so it would be easy enough to beat them again, right?
"Queen Sarah," called a reedy little voice from the doorway. Sarah jumped, not having heard the door even open. "King Jareth wants to see you."
"For what?" she asked, suddenly irritated. Hadn't they settled everything the night before?
"Don't know," the goblin replied laconically. "But I'd get dressed in a hurry if I was you." Sarah saw the goblin leave this time, for once. She scowled at the open doorway.
"I'd get dressed in a hurry if I was you," she mimicked in a similarly squeaky voice. "Jareth can wait if he wants to see me!" She put truth to her words by dressing as slowly as she possibly could. This would teach him to order her around! So far, she'd seen nothing of the 'I will be your slave,' vow, but he sure expected her to follow the 'fear me, love me, do as I say' part!
She descended the stairs into the dismal main room with surprising calm, regarding Jareth on his throne with a cool glance. He looked ready to yell at her. "When I say I wish to see you," he said smoothly, though there was a hint of irritation in his voice, "I expect you to be here within a few minutes of the request."
"Request?!" she repeated with a short bark of a laugh. "It sounded more like an order to me!"
He didn't give her the satisfaction of a ground-out retort, instead standing up and approaching her with a slight smile. "I thought we might spend the day together," he said, taking Sarah's hand despite her protests. "I'll show you around my Labyrinth…though you already know your way through much of it, I'm sure."
"You're just hoping I'll lead you to Hoggle and the others!" she accused, wresting her hand away from his. "Can't you find them on your own?"
"Sarah, you hurt my feelings," he replied, his brows furrowing in a wounded expression. "If you're to be queen, you'll need to know your way around the kingdom. Unless, of course, you plan to spend your days locked inside your room. Whatever suits you."
Sarah looked at him consideringly, but finally gave a consenting nod. "Okay then. Where do we start?"
"Why not with the castle?" he suggested. "You've only seen a small part of it, but there is so much more that hasn't yet been seen. And I'm sure you'd like the chance to figure out the room where you and Toby were reunited."
Mention of Toby caused a troubled frown to crease Sarah's forehead, and Jareth instantly regretted his biting choice of words. Before she could suddenly refuse his offer to show her around, however, he took her hand again and gently began to lead her through the clutter of goblins. She followed woodenly, no longer concerned with who she was with and where they were going. Where was Toby? Was he among the jumble of goblins in this room?
When she became aware of her surroundings once more, she saw that they were back in the Escher room, with its intricate maze of stairs and doors. It was impossible to tell what was up and what was down in this room; Sarah had the uneasy feeling that she could very well be standing on a wall for all she knew. She looked up at Jareth questioningly. "Why are we here?"
"As I said, I thought you might like to figure out the secrets to this room."
Sarah looked back to the room and fought off the feeling of dizzyness as she shook her head. "Not today," she said in a choked voice. "I don't want to be in this room. Let's go somewhere else."
Jareth knew exactly why she didn't want to be in that room, and he nearly cursed himself for making yet another wrong judgment. Maybe it would have been better if she had stayed in her room, but he couldn't stand the tension that had been in the air for the past several days! If she was going to remain with him, he had to at least make some attempt at smoothing things over…and so far, he was doing an unbelievably bad job. He masked his sudden diffidence with a smile.
"Alright, we'll go somewhere else. I'll take you on a tour of the rest of the castle. Would you like that, Sarah?" She nodded mutely. Jareth suppressed a sigh and led her out of the room.
The castle was just as big as he'd said it was, with so many rooms and hallways that Sarah knew it would be easy to get lost. And Jareth was actually being a pleasant host, which was surprising in itself. She couldn't bring herself to be completely at ease around him-after all, he was her enemy-but at least he wasn't mocking her like he usually did! She found herself wondering if he was genuinely being nice, or if there were ulterior motives to his pleasantries. I still think he's trying to get me to lead him to Hoggle and the others…
"Sarah?" Jareth's voice broke through her thoughts, and she gave a start. He chuckled softly. "Come this way. If you go that way, you'll end up in another part of the castle."
"Oh." She cast one last curious look at the twisting stairway before following Jareth down the hallway. They made their way out of the castle and meandered through the city streets, being careful to avoid fighting goblins and objects that were thrown from windows. Sarah grimaced as she walked beside the Goblin King, wondering how he could tolerate these goblins. She decided to ask him as much, and he just shrugged.
"What would you suggest I do with them?" he countered, casting a teasing smile down at her. She was about to respond that she didn't know, but instead decided to answer him with another question.
"How many of these goblins were children that you stole?"
His expression darkened suddenly, and he looked away. "Why did you have to ask that?" he demanded softly, walking ahead of her. Sarah frowned and hurried to catch up with him. Wasn't the answer to his question obvious?
"I want to know how many babies you've turned into goblins," she insisted, grabbing his arm when he refused to stop. He spun to face her, his eyes glittering dangerously.
"How many?" he repeated, his voice a low growl. "One. Your brother. You asked that I take the child, and I did! You knew when you called for me that your brother would become a goblin! Why do you insist on punishing me for something that you wanted?"
"I told you that I wanted Toby back, but you decided not to listen to me that time!" Sarah protested heatedly. "If you would just change him back, then I could leave and you'd be rid of me!"
"Did you ever stop to think, just for once, that maybe I didn't want you to leave?" he nearly shouted. In the shocked silence that followed, he turned on his heel and stalked off. Sarah stared after him slack-jawed, unable to believe what she'd just heard. When Jareth finally disappeared from sight, she managed to gather her wits enough to turn around and walk the other way. What had just happened? And what exactly did he mean by that comment? To her romantic sensibilities, the meaning was quite obvious, but since coming here, her rational side was starting to have an influence on her thoughts as well. And her rational side was having some serious doubts about Jareth's meaning. But whatever the meaning, it was obvious that staying away from the castle for awhile would be a very good idea...which presented as good an opportunity as any to call her friends out of hiding.
"I need you…"
Hoggle's head snapped up, eyes going wide as the words were finally spoken. Ludo and Sir Didymus must have heard them as well, for they were both looking more alert than they had in days. Could the two creatures have smiled, Hoggle was sure they would be doing so now.
"Hoggle?" came Sarah's voice again, softer this time. "Sir Didymus? Ludo?"
"What're we waiting for?" Hoggle asked, climbing to his feet. "Sarah's calling us!"
"Ambrosius!" Didymus called, whistling through his teeth for his steed. The sheepdog peered around a rock, then came bounding toward the fox. Ludo had already gotten to his feet and was lumbering toward the sound of Sarah's voice, but Hoggle was well ahead of the giant beast.
When Sarah saw her friends coming toward her, a bright smile lit her face. She bent down and hugged Hoggle tightly, then straightened and threw her arms around Ludo's furry body as well. "I'm so glad I found you!" she cried happily. "I was afraid I'd never see you again!"
"Bah…" Hoggle grunted, trying to sound unconcerned. She saw right through the charade and grinned at him.
"I missed you, too," she said teasingly. Then, with a sudden glance toward the castle, she led the group further into the Labyrinth, until they were hidden from anyone looking out the castle windows. "I guess you know what happened?"
Hoggle nodded, but it was Sir Didymus who spoke. "I wanted to save thee, my lady, but Hoggle said we had to hide."
"Save Sarah," Ludo echoed, causing Sarah to laugh softly.
"It's Toby who needs to be saved," she told them. "He's been turned into a goblin, and Jareth won't change him back. I have to figure out how to defeat him and get Toby out of here!"
"I shall fight him to the death!" came Didymus' shout, followed by several rounds of loud yapping. Sarah lunged over and put her hand across the fox's muzzle, successfully silencing him.
"I appreciate your trying to help, but I don't think any of us can beat him alone." She sighed in aggravation, leaning her head back against the stone wall of the Labyrinth. "If only I could remember those words! I wish I had my book with me…"
"We'll help as much as we can," Hoggle volunteered, hating to see Sarah looking so upset. She smiled.
"Thank you, Hoggle. Right now, you can help by keeping as far away from Jareth as possible. He's also looking for you, and if he finds you, he says he's going to put you in the Bog of Stench!" Her stomach knotted at the thought of that place. "Do you think you'll be able to stay hidden?"
"The goblins have been looking for us for several days now, my lady," Didymus told her matter-of-factly. Hoggle nodded.
"It's not very hard hiding from them," the dwarf added disdainfully.
"But it won't be so easy to hide from Jareth," Sarah pointed out. "So just be careful. I'll come back when I can."
"Where are you going?"
She sighed again. "I don't know, but the longer I stay here, the more danger I'm putting you in. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
"Be careful, my lady," Sir Didymus admonished.
"I will." Sarah smiled once more at her friends and left, feeling better than she had in days. It was amazing how much brighter things became when she realized she had allies!
She hadn't planned on returning to the castle right away, but as she was wandering through the streets, she noticed with some surprise that her footsteps were taking her in that direction. And Jareth was probably watching her, so it wasn't as if she could turn around and go another way. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself to whatever confrontation might be waiting for her and headed up the front stairs. The huge doors swung open to let her in, and as she strolled through, a number of goblins pushed them shut again. Sarah glanced curiously at them, but then continued on her way to her room.
"Sarah." The voice stopped her cold. As she turned to face Jareth, she saw that he was already walking toward her, his gaze fixed on hers. She frowned uncertainly and took a step back, not sure what to make of the intense expression.
"What do you want?" she demanded, eliciting a smile from his lips.
"Only to apologize for my behavior earlier," he replied. "And also…to ask if you would join me for dinner this evening."
It was on her lips to say no, but she somehow managed to keep silent. Why was he being so nice to her all of a sudden? There had to be some motive! Unless she was being paranoid, and leaping at shadows which weren't there. In any event, he'd only asked her to dinner…that was harmless, right? "I guess so," she conceded at last, causing a strangely pleased glow to light in the Goblin King's eyes. But before he could say anything more, she had turned and was walking dazedly up the numerous stairs toward her bedroom. When had things suddenly slipped out of control?
The end of Part Three! I'm working on the next part at this very moment, so it should be out within a matter of days! I just hope I can keep this pace up! If so, this will be one of the first stories I've actually finished! ;)
Author: Amber
Distribution: Email me first (Arrilyn@hotmail.com), but other than that, all I ask is that my name and email addy be left attached!
Disclaimer: Same as last time! Labyrinth and all its characters belong to Jim Henson and Lucasfilm(s?).. I own nothing, and I'm not looking to get any profit from this story! Heh...like anyone would wanna pay to read this!
Summary: Another one of those 'alternate ending' type fics, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! More conflict between Jareth and Sarah...and this might not seem like it's going anywhere right now, LoL, but it will be!
A/N: If you didn't read Parts One or Two, I suggest you go do that RIGHT NOW before you read this part! I don't know if it would keep you from understanding anything in this bit of the story, but what's the fun of skipping to the middle of a story?? But anyway, part of the beginning is a songfic in a way, because I thought it up while listening to a sound on the Labyrinth soundtrack! From about halfway through the second paragraph (the sentence that begins with 'the sun'), if you want to listen to what I listened to, then go to Track 4 ('Sarah') and fast-forward to about 1:03 (I'm being exact, hehe)...in my imagination, the part of the song at that point reminds me of good background music while she's looking out the window! ;) And now on with the story!
Say The Words
Sarah awoke as the vestiges of night were being slowly washed away by encroaching dawn. She'd never woken up so early before, but she'd had a fitful night of sleep…if tossing, turning, and an abundance of nightmares could be termed as 'sleep'. She was plagued by worries for her friends, her brother, and also by that strange sadness that she couldn't help feeling for the Goblin King. It was his own fault he had no friends, she understood, but she suddenly realized how absolutely lonely his life must be, having no one to talk to or confide in. Were it not for their present situation, she might have found herself trying to befriend the aloof man…but they were rivals in nearly every sense of the word, and so friendship was impossible.
Tossing back the covers, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and shivered as the floor's chill seeped through her feet. Looking down, she noticed a delicate pair of slippers, decorated with fine silver thread, which had been placed beside her bed. She welcomed their protection against the cold floor even as she wondered how they got to be there…and why couldn't they have been there before this morning, since she certainly could have used them! Must be something to do with the power from this pendant, she mused, walking over to the window. Pushing back the wispy curtains, she involuntarily drew a sharp breath at the view afforded her. The sun was finally peeking over the horizon, ever so slowly bathing the quaint city below with warm golden light. Building by building, the sun seemed to touch the rooftops and dispell the lingering shadows of night. Even the Labyrinth's complex corridors and passageways were burnished with golden hues, softening the otherwise harsh and unwelcome vista.
"I'll paint you mornings of gold…"
The moment should have been spoiled once those words came back to her, but strangely, it made the scene below all the more beautiful. Why, she couldn't really say, but she'd never had anyone offer to do such romantic things as what Jareth had promised her in that song. The morning certainly had been painted with gold, and even though she knew Jareth had nothing to do with the breathtaking view (did he?), she couldn't help thinking back to his poetic words. She wished the moment could last longer, but the sun was rising quickly now, and the warm gold accents on the buildings below had dulled into an ordinary yellow. Sarah sighed regretfully as the magic faded and turned away from the window, walking over to her bureau so she could brush her hair. The silver-backed brush glided easily through her dark locks, snagging once or twice on a tangle before continuing. She stared wistfully at her reflection in the mirror, wishing both to be home in her own comfortable room and to find out where her friends were. The only thing she could figure out was that they were hiding from Jareth…and with plans like those he had for them, who wouldn't want to hide?
"I know I didn't say anything to them to make them angry," she murmured to herself, her brushstrokes now completely mechanical as her thoughts strayed. "What exactly did I say to them just before leaving?" So many things had happened since that time that she could hardly remember much of anything before her confrontation with Jareth. But what were the words she used? She knew words meant a lot in this world; maybe something she said was keeping them away from her…
"I have to face him alone."
"But why?"
"Because that's the way it's done."
"Well if that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it. But…should you need us…"
"Yes, should y'need us…"
"I'll call!" Sarah suddenly cried out, dropping her brush. She laughed out loud with relief, realizing now why she hadn't heard from Hoggle, Ludo, or Didymus. They were waiting for her to call them, and until she did, they would probably remain hidden! But now came another problem. How could she get to them without Jareth following her and somehow getting to them first? She knew he would take any advantage afforded to him, and in his mind, she was probably the best way to get to the three 'traitors'.
If I call them from the castle, they'll definitely get caught…and if I go out into the Labyrinth again, I'm sure Jareth or one of his goblins will follow me and try to catch them before I can. Maybe I can pretend I'm not looking for them, and he'll stop following me…or I could sneak out at night…
The latter option appealed to her the most. Not that she particularly wanted to be out there in the dark, but at least then Jareth was likely to be asleep, which would give her a better chance at finding her friends safely. And the goblins slept whether it was night or day, so she felt little apprehension about them. Besides, she'd bested them once on the way into the Goblin City, so it would be easy enough to beat them again, right?
"Queen Sarah," called a reedy little voice from the doorway. Sarah jumped, not having heard the door even open. "King Jareth wants to see you."
"For what?" she asked, suddenly irritated. Hadn't they settled everything the night before?
"Don't know," the goblin replied laconically. "But I'd get dressed in a hurry if I was you." Sarah saw the goblin leave this time, for once. She scowled at the open doorway.
"I'd get dressed in a hurry if I was you," she mimicked in a similarly squeaky voice. "Jareth can wait if he wants to see me!" She put truth to her words by dressing as slowly as she possibly could. This would teach him to order her around! So far, she'd seen nothing of the 'I will be your slave,' vow, but he sure expected her to follow the 'fear me, love me, do as I say' part!
She descended the stairs into the dismal main room with surprising calm, regarding Jareth on his throne with a cool glance. He looked ready to yell at her. "When I say I wish to see you," he said smoothly, though there was a hint of irritation in his voice, "I expect you to be here within a few minutes of the request."
"Request?!" she repeated with a short bark of a laugh. "It sounded more like an order to me!"
He didn't give her the satisfaction of a ground-out retort, instead standing up and approaching her with a slight smile. "I thought we might spend the day together," he said, taking Sarah's hand despite her protests. "I'll show you around my Labyrinth…though you already know your way through much of it, I'm sure."
"You're just hoping I'll lead you to Hoggle and the others!" she accused, wresting her hand away from his. "Can't you find them on your own?"
"Sarah, you hurt my feelings," he replied, his brows furrowing in a wounded expression. "If you're to be queen, you'll need to know your way around the kingdom. Unless, of course, you plan to spend your days locked inside your room. Whatever suits you."
Sarah looked at him consideringly, but finally gave a consenting nod. "Okay then. Where do we start?"
"Why not with the castle?" he suggested. "You've only seen a small part of it, but there is so much more that hasn't yet been seen. And I'm sure you'd like the chance to figure out the room where you and Toby were reunited."
Mention of Toby caused a troubled frown to crease Sarah's forehead, and Jareth instantly regretted his biting choice of words. Before she could suddenly refuse his offer to show her around, however, he took her hand again and gently began to lead her through the clutter of goblins. She followed woodenly, no longer concerned with who she was with and where they were going. Where was Toby? Was he among the jumble of goblins in this room?
When she became aware of her surroundings once more, she saw that they were back in the Escher room, with its intricate maze of stairs and doors. It was impossible to tell what was up and what was down in this room; Sarah had the uneasy feeling that she could very well be standing on a wall for all she knew. She looked up at Jareth questioningly. "Why are we here?"
"As I said, I thought you might like to figure out the secrets to this room."
Sarah looked back to the room and fought off the feeling of dizzyness as she shook her head. "Not today," she said in a choked voice. "I don't want to be in this room. Let's go somewhere else."
Jareth knew exactly why she didn't want to be in that room, and he nearly cursed himself for making yet another wrong judgment. Maybe it would have been better if she had stayed in her room, but he couldn't stand the tension that had been in the air for the past several days! If she was going to remain with him, he had to at least make some attempt at smoothing things over…and so far, he was doing an unbelievably bad job. He masked his sudden diffidence with a smile.
"Alright, we'll go somewhere else. I'll take you on a tour of the rest of the castle. Would you like that, Sarah?" She nodded mutely. Jareth suppressed a sigh and led her out of the room.
The castle was just as big as he'd said it was, with so many rooms and hallways that Sarah knew it would be easy to get lost. And Jareth was actually being a pleasant host, which was surprising in itself. She couldn't bring herself to be completely at ease around him-after all, he was her enemy-but at least he wasn't mocking her like he usually did! She found herself wondering if he was genuinely being nice, or if there were ulterior motives to his pleasantries. I still think he's trying to get me to lead him to Hoggle and the others…
"Sarah?" Jareth's voice broke through her thoughts, and she gave a start. He chuckled softly. "Come this way. If you go that way, you'll end up in another part of the castle."
"Oh." She cast one last curious look at the twisting stairway before following Jareth down the hallway. They made their way out of the castle and meandered through the city streets, being careful to avoid fighting goblins and objects that were thrown from windows. Sarah grimaced as she walked beside the Goblin King, wondering how he could tolerate these goblins. She decided to ask him as much, and he just shrugged.
"What would you suggest I do with them?" he countered, casting a teasing smile down at her. She was about to respond that she didn't know, but instead decided to answer him with another question.
"How many of these goblins were children that you stole?"
His expression darkened suddenly, and he looked away. "Why did you have to ask that?" he demanded softly, walking ahead of her. Sarah frowned and hurried to catch up with him. Wasn't the answer to his question obvious?
"I want to know how many babies you've turned into goblins," she insisted, grabbing his arm when he refused to stop. He spun to face her, his eyes glittering dangerously.
"How many?" he repeated, his voice a low growl. "One. Your brother. You asked that I take the child, and I did! You knew when you called for me that your brother would become a goblin! Why do you insist on punishing me for something that you wanted?"
"I told you that I wanted Toby back, but you decided not to listen to me that time!" Sarah protested heatedly. "If you would just change him back, then I could leave and you'd be rid of me!"
"Did you ever stop to think, just for once, that maybe I didn't want you to leave?" he nearly shouted. In the shocked silence that followed, he turned on his heel and stalked off. Sarah stared after him slack-jawed, unable to believe what she'd just heard. When Jareth finally disappeared from sight, she managed to gather her wits enough to turn around and walk the other way. What had just happened? And what exactly did he mean by that comment? To her romantic sensibilities, the meaning was quite obvious, but since coming here, her rational side was starting to have an influence on her thoughts as well. And her rational side was having some serious doubts about Jareth's meaning. But whatever the meaning, it was obvious that staying away from the castle for awhile would be a very good idea...which presented as good an opportunity as any to call her friends out of hiding.
"I need you…"
Hoggle's head snapped up, eyes going wide as the words were finally spoken. Ludo and Sir Didymus must have heard them as well, for they were both looking more alert than they had in days. Could the two creatures have smiled, Hoggle was sure they would be doing so now.
"Hoggle?" came Sarah's voice again, softer this time. "Sir Didymus? Ludo?"
"What're we waiting for?" Hoggle asked, climbing to his feet. "Sarah's calling us!"
"Ambrosius!" Didymus called, whistling through his teeth for his steed. The sheepdog peered around a rock, then came bounding toward the fox. Ludo had already gotten to his feet and was lumbering toward the sound of Sarah's voice, but Hoggle was well ahead of the giant beast.
When Sarah saw her friends coming toward her, a bright smile lit her face. She bent down and hugged Hoggle tightly, then straightened and threw her arms around Ludo's furry body as well. "I'm so glad I found you!" she cried happily. "I was afraid I'd never see you again!"
"Bah…" Hoggle grunted, trying to sound unconcerned. She saw right through the charade and grinned at him.
"I missed you, too," she said teasingly. Then, with a sudden glance toward the castle, she led the group further into the Labyrinth, until they were hidden from anyone looking out the castle windows. "I guess you know what happened?"
Hoggle nodded, but it was Sir Didymus who spoke. "I wanted to save thee, my lady, but Hoggle said we had to hide."
"Save Sarah," Ludo echoed, causing Sarah to laugh softly.
"It's Toby who needs to be saved," she told them. "He's been turned into a goblin, and Jareth won't change him back. I have to figure out how to defeat him and get Toby out of here!"
"I shall fight him to the death!" came Didymus' shout, followed by several rounds of loud yapping. Sarah lunged over and put her hand across the fox's muzzle, successfully silencing him.
"I appreciate your trying to help, but I don't think any of us can beat him alone." She sighed in aggravation, leaning her head back against the stone wall of the Labyrinth. "If only I could remember those words! I wish I had my book with me…"
"We'll help as much as we can," Hoggle volunteered, hating to see Sarah looking so upset. She smiled.
"Thank you, Hoggle. Right now, you can help by keeping as far away from Jareth as possible. He's also looking for you, and if he finds you, he says he's going to put you in the Bog of Stench!" Her stomach knotted at the thought of that place. "Do you think you'll be able to stay hidden?"
"The goblins have been looking for us for several days now, my lady," Didymus told her matter-of-factly. Hoggle nodded.
"It's not very hard hiding from them," the dwarf added disdainfully.
"But it won't be so easy to hide from Jareth," Sarah pointed out. "So just be careful. I'll come back when I can."
"Where are you going?"
She sighed again. "I don't know, but the longer I stay here, the more danger I'm putting you in. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
"Be careful, my lady," Sir Didymus admonished.
"I will." Sarah smiled once more at her friends and left, feeling better than she had in days. It was amazing how much brighter things became when she realized she had allies!
She hadn't planned on returning to the castle right away, but as she was wandering through the streets, she noticed with some surprise that her footsteps were taking her in that direction. And Jareth was probably watching her, so it wasn't as if she could turn around and go another way. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself to whatever confrontation might be waiting for her and headed up the front stairs. The huge doors swung open to let her in, and as she strolled through, a number of goblins pushed them shut again. Sarah glanced curiously at them, but then continued on her way to her room.
"Sarah." The voice stopped her cold. As she turned to face Jareth, she saw that he was already walking toward her, his gaze fixed on hers. She frowned uncertainly and took a step back, not sure what to make of the intense expression.
"What do you want?" she demanded, eliciting a smile from his lips.
"Only to apologize for my behavior earlier," he replied. "And also…to ask if you would join me for dinner this evening."
It was on her lips to say no, but she somehow managed to keep silent. Why was he being so nice to her all of a sudden? There had to be some motive! Unless she was being paranoid, and leaping at shadows which weren't there. In any event, he'd only asked her to dinner…that was harmless, right? "I guess so," she conceded at last, causing a strangely pleased glow to light in the Goblin King's eyes. But before he could say anything more, she had turned and was walking dazedly up the numerous stairs toward her bedroom. When had things suddenly slipped out of control?
The end of Part Three! I'm working on the next part at this very moment, so it should be out within a matter of days! I just hope I can keep this pace up! If so, this will be one of the first stories I've actually finished! ;)