Title: Say The Words (Part Five)
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 each time before! 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 things are starting to happen now!
A/N: If you didn't read the past 4 parts, I suggest you go do that RIGHT NOW before you read this part! It's no good starting in the middle of a story, especially when you have no idea what's going on! ;) I hope you all like this installment...I'm starting to 'run out of steam', so to speak, but I refuse to stop writing 'til it's finished, LoL! I don't want to rush things, either, because that would just ruin the story...so bear with all the winding twists! ;)
Sarah recoiled as though Hetta had tried to attack her. "He loves me?" she repeated in disbelief. "Why would you say something like that? What does a necklace have to do with love? He doesn't love anyone but himself!"
Hetta sighed impatiently. "It's not the necklace that proves he loves you! It's the power he's given you! King Jareth is a selfish man"-Hoggle grunted agreement with that-"so for him to give you any sort of power shows that you mean a great deal to him. You can't say you hadn't figured that out already!"
"No, I hadn't." Sarah tried to sound indignant at the woman's implication that she was stupid, but her response only came out sounding bewildered. Not that she believed Hetta, of course. If Jareth truly loved her, wouldn't he have given Toby back? Or better yet, he never would have turned her brother into a goblin in the first place! No, Hetta just didn't know Jareth well enough to realize that he had no capacity for love in his heart.
But do you know him all that well? she asked herself silently. Who's to say it isn't you who's mistaken?
"Come on," Hoggle said, uncomfortable with all the talk of love and feelings, "let's get out of here before Jareth does find us!" Ludo gave a rumbling agreement, and the group quickly made their way through the streets, toward Hetta's home. Sarah followed them all nervously, afraid the goblins who had run off were telling Jareth at that very moment about her friends' appearance. He had promised her that if she found them first, he wouldn't harm them, but had he been telling the truth?
"Here it is," Hetta announced, frowning in puzzlement when she saw that Sarah was about to keep on walking. Giving a start, Sarah stopped moving and cast a rueful smile at the goblin woman before looking at their destination. The two-story, slightly lopsided structure was right along the edge of the Goblin City, its walls made of plaster and its roof constructed of stone shingles (half of which looked like they were about to fall off). Windows were located sparsely, their shutters hanging so loosely that they too looked ready to fall away from the house. Yet despite its faults, the house looked quaint and cozy. Hetta made to go inside, but then turned and looked at Ludo with a frown. "What'll we do about him?" she asked, gesturing to her small front door. "He can't fit in here!"
"He fit in the last house he went into," Hoggle countered. "Just pulled the walls apart at the corner like it was nothin' and walked in…"
"He won't be pulling my walls apart!" Hetta shrieked indignantly, glaring first at her brother, and then at Ludo, who shrank back in wounded bewilderment. Sarah laid a reassuring hand on his arm.
"There's nothing we can do, then," Sarah said, "other than send him back into the Labyrinth to hide. Actually, I think the three of you should go back, so Jareth doesn't find you. I'm sure this will be the first place he looks."
"But my lady," Sir Didymus protested, "why can we not stay here and protect you? You said you needed us…"
"If you get caught, you won't be any help to me," Sarah pointed out. "I promise I'll call for you when I figure out what I'm doing, but right now I need you to hide!"
"What is it you want to do?" Hetta asked, fixing Sarah with a curious gaze. Sarah was a little hesitant to tell, but finally decided she could trust the goblin woman and started talking.
"Jareth turned my baby brother into a goblin," she explained, "and I need to find some way to defeat him and turn Toby back. But I don't know how. Well, I know if I could remember the right words to say, it would defeat him, but I can't remember the words!"
"Queen Sarah, why would you want to defeat Jareth?" Hetta asked in puzzlement. "Don't you love him?"
The question struck Sarah offguard for the second time in just a few short minutes. Love the Goblin King? The man who had single-handedly shattered her dreams and ruined any hope of a happy life? "Of course I don't love…" She trailed off, suddenly unable to finish her sentence. What was coming over her? She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling strangely disoriented. A similar sensation had swept over her when she'd bitten into that peach, but this was different somehow…
"Sarah?" Ludo's wide face was filled with concern as he tugged gently on the sleeve of her dress. Hoggle and Didymus also looked worried, but Hetta almost looked smug, as if she believed Sarah's silence was due to overwhelming feelings of affection for her king. The poor goblin had no idea what Jareth was like. Sarah smiled and waved off the concern.
"I'm fine," she assured, taking a calming breath. "I just have a headache, that's all. Will the three of you please listen to me and go back to the Labyrinth? I don't want you to be caught."
Hoggle nodded, albeit reluctantly. "We'll be here if you need us," he told her firmly. Didymus and Ludo were quick to echo the sentiment.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Hetta stated, ushering her brother away while still keeping a snug hold on her child. "Now listen to Sarah, before she gets angry!"
Sarah watched as her friends disappeared into the Labyrinth, and then continued to watch the spot where she'd last seen them. Hetta tapped her arm after several moments, effectively breaking her trance. "I'm sorry…I don't know what's wrong with me today!" She smiled ruefully at the goblin woman.
"No matter. We're all allowed to daydream sometimes, right?" She gestured for Sarah to enter the house first. "Why don't we go inside, and I'll make us a nice cup of tea."
"You sound like that worm I met when I first entered the Labyrinth," Sarah reminisced with a smile. Hetta chuckled.
"Willum? He's all the time inviting strangers to drink tea with him and his 'Missus'. Me, I only invite people who seem trustworthy. You are trustworthy."
"Me? Not really…"
"What do you mean? You saved my baby, and you rescued me…and I know you've stayed loyal to King Jareth, no matter what you said about 'defeating him'." Hetta once again acquired that expression which clearly showed that she felt herself to be very wise. Sarah chuckled softly.
"The whole reason I'm here to begin with is because I wished my baby brother away," she explained. "My parents asked me to take care of him for the night, and instead I wished for the goblins to take him! Do you think that sounds very trustworthy?"
"But you came here to rescue him, didn't you?"
"Yes, but my point was-"
"The point is, young queen, that you came back for him. You knew you did something wrong, and you fixed the mistake."
"Tried to fix it," Sarah corrected. "I failed."
"Which is why you think you have to defeat King Jareth? To save your brother?" Sarah nodded in answer to the questions. "Pardon my rudeness, Queen Sarah-though I'm sure you won't mind-but that's one of the silliest things I've ever heard. You don't need to defeat the king to save your brother!"
"What do you mean? How else do you think I could save him?"
Hetta paused to shrug before she sat her child on the floor so it could play. "It's as simple as telling him you love him," she replied, much to Sarah's impatience.
"I told you already, I don't-"
"Now, I've heard quite enough of that." The goblin woman fixed Sarah with a stern glance. "You're not going to get anywhere if you refuse to admit anything to yourself!" She spun around and set about making tea, while Sarah stood in silent thought. She almost wished something would happen, just to draw Hetta's attention away from the situation.
Almost immediately after the thought crossed Sarah's mind, the door burst open, and in trooped six armored goblins. Hetta shrieked and rushed to her child, scooping the tiny infant up in her arms as she backed away from the intruders. "Don't just stand there, girl! Run!" she cried, her voice cracking with the strain of shouting. Sarah also began to back away, eyes wide as she watched the goblin soldiers. Stupid or not, there was a ruthless look about them that bespoke of terrible violence, and she didn't want to be a victim of that violence. As the Goblin Queen, she should have been able to order them to leave Hetta's house immediately, but instinctively she knew that they wouldn't listen.
Jareth had been right. She had no authority in this land.
"Sarah! RUN!" Hetta screamed one last time, before she herself fled the room. Sarah stood, transfixed, as emotions began to war inside her. Fear was what caused her heart to beat so fast, but anger had the blood drumming in her ears. Why would Jareth make her his queen only to keep her from having any power? The power he'd given her meant nothing to these goblins. If the best she could do was grow wildflowers or make one goblin disappear into thin air, how was she supposed to intimidate six bloodthirsty creatures? By conjuring faeries to harass them? If Jareth was there right now, she'd give him a piece of her mind…
"Stop!" came the authoritative voice from just outside the house. Sarah couldn't believe her ears. The goblins, who'd raised their spears and were about to attack, suddenly began running into each other in their haste to retreat. And when the tall, imposing figure of the Goblin King ducked into the doorway, everyone in the room-Sarah included-was possessed by the urge to escape from the anger glittering in his mismatched eyes.
Jareth regarded the soldiers with unconcealed ire, and he picked up the one nearest to him by the throat. "If I ever--ever!--find out that you've tried to harm my queen again, I will think of a worse punishment than the Bog of Stench could ever provide. Do I make myself clear?"
The goblin went rigid with fear, its luminous eyes growing even wider than before. The other five who remained standing nodded and bowed anxiously. With a disgusted growl, Jareth threw the sixth goblin out the door, then stepped out of the way as the rest hurried out. He turned his gaze to Sarah, and his expression softened, if only marginally. By that point, she had regained her composure, and glared at him angrily.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, trying to ignore the unpleasant emotion that darkened her eyes.
"No thanks to you!" she spat. "They would have killed me!"
"And I stopped them." He refused to let himself respond to her anger. He'd had enough of being angry with her; in fact, he was just plain tired of it.
"But you shouldn't have had to!" she argued. "If I'm a queen, I should have been able to tell them to stop, and they would have listened! Instead, they tried to attack me like I was some…some peasant!"
"You're being dramatic, Sar-"
"No I'm not! You know I'm right! You know that if I'd had any power at all, I would have been able to stop them, just like you did a minute ago! But instead you just-"
"Enough of this." The words cracked like a whiplash, sending Sarah immediately into a state of silent shock. Jareth's strides swiftly closed the remaining distance between them, until he was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. "I am tired of the anger, Sarah, and I'm tired of the arguing. Hasn't there been enough of that? Can't we be allies…friends?"
"'Friends'?" She pronounced the word as if it was foreign to her, which wasn't far from the truth when the word was attached to Jareth. "How can you even ask that?"
"I've already told you," he replied. "I'm tired of this constant fighting between us! Why must you condemn me without giving me the simple courtesy of a second chance? Didn't you do the same for that dwarf?"
"Hoggle," she supplied. "He has a name. And as for chances, why do you think you even deserve one? You condemned yourself when you turned Toby into a goblin."
"Damn it, Sarah, I warned you at the very beginning what would happen to the baby if you failed! Would you stop throwing that back in my face?" Jareth bit off his next sentence, turning away from her as he fought to control his emotions. He was actually trembling with frustration! How could one girl do this to him? There was only one way he'd be able to stop the situation from becoming worse, and much as he didn't want it to be done, he knew it was for the best. When he again turned to face her, his face showed no emotion, not even the condescending smirk he wore so often. "If you refuse to make peace," he said carefully, "then I don't want you around. You're no longer permitted inside my castle. I don't know, nor do I care if you find a place to stay, but I refuse to let you bait me any longer with your childish temper tantrums." With a grand sweep of his cloak, he left the house. Sarah stared after him with her mouth hanging open, unable to even yell after him.
"I knew this would happen," Hetta said, appearing from the next room. "As soon as I heard you shouting, I just knew this would happen."
"Oh, Hetta…" Wearily, Sarah sank into a rickety chair and put her face in her hands. "How am I going to get Toby back now?"
"Stop worrying about it, for one!" The goblin woman's brisk tone brought Sarah's face back up. "King Jareth won't touch a hair on that babe's head, I'm certain. You'll get him back, but for now you need to wait. You can stay here until his temper's cooled down."
"Hetta, what's made you like Jareth so much?" Sarah demanded in wonderment. "He treats all of you so poorly, but you act like he's…well, wonderful! And wasn't he the one who had you captured?"
Hetta made a sound of disgust. "Of course not. It was those stupid goblin soldiers of his." She stared intently at Sarah. "I like King Jareth because I can see the good that's beneath all that arrogance. It's just for show, Sarah, can't you see that? Any emotion-except anger, of course-is a weakness to men like him. If he thinks you hate him, he's not going to tell you how he really feels!" She sighed. "You really are silly sometimes, girl, if you can't see what's right in front of your nose."
"Whatever you think of him, he's been nothing but cruel to me," Sarah stated firmly, crossing her arms. In her heart, she knew that wasn't so. There had been several times since she became queen that he had tried to show kindness to her, in his own awkward way. And each time, she had been the one to bait him to anger. But the only way she could feel safe around him was when he was angry…after all, she was unarmed against kindness. The only way she knew how to fight was with words and anger! "I have no reason to forgive him."
The goblin woman shook her head sadly, but said nothing.
The next few days settled into a boring but comfortable monotony. Sarah found herself enjoying the quiet lifestyle that Hetta led. The two of them would often sit in the kitchen over cups of hot tea, watching little Rilum play on the floor or discussing any manner of topics. Once, she had asked the goblin woman if she had a husband, but Hetta only gave a noncommittal response, obviously unwilling to discuss the subject. The rest of that day had been filled with tension between the two, but otherwise, they enjoyed each other's company.
Of course, Sarah couldn't resist using her necklace's power every so often, but she made sure not to let Hetta see that she was doing it, for undoubtedly the goblin would think she was doing it because it reminded her of Jareth. In truth, Sarah hardly thought of Jareth at all in the days following her eviction from the castle. Not that she never thought of him, but being away from him seemed to all but banish him from her mind. She found her mood lightening, until even Hetta remarked that she seemed to be another person entirely, not the somber girl she'd been almost a week ago. Obviously, Hetta had said, this separation from the Goblin King was doing wonders for her spirit.
Secretly, however, Hetta was puzzled by Sarah's sudden change in personality, and it wasn't just because of her more cheerful mood. There were times when the girl just seemed to be completely brainless! The goblin woman worried the most the day she asked what Sarah planned to do about Toby. It had been three days since the girl had made any mention of her brother, and Hetta was sure that by now, Sarah would be ready to go back to Jareth and make amends, thereby winning back the child. But when she asked, Sarah had only looked at her blankly, as if she had no idea what was meant by the question! "Toby?" she'd repeated, a curious sparkle in her hazel eyes. "Why would I do anything about him?" And her tone hadn't even carried a note of teasing sarcasm, which would denote that she was just throwing Hetta's earlier advice back at her…she'd been genuinely serious! That incident, plus other smaller ones, had set the goblin's nerves on edge. Something was happening to Sarah, and whatever it was, it wasn't good.
On the sixth day of Sarah's 'exile', Hetta announced that she had to leave for a little while. "Keep an eye on Rilum," she told Sarah, moving toward the front door. "I won't be gone long."
"Where are you going?" Sarah asked curiously, picking Rilum up and bouncing him gently until he gurgled happily.
"No concern of yours." Hetta managed a smile. "If anything happens, there's a trapdoor under that rug over there." She pointed to a faded rag rug positioned in the corner of the room. "Take Rilum and hide!" Sarah nodded and watched as Hetta left the house, then glanced down at the baby in her arms. "Where do you suppose your mama's going, hmm?"
Jareth twirled a crystal in his fingers, watching as the light glinted and refracted off its smooth surface. He'd been watching Sarah from the day he'd cast her out of his castle, hoping to see some glimmer of regret, or perhaps even a sign that she was willing to cast their silly feud aside and become friends. He wanted so much more, but for the time being, he was willing to try friendship. After all, they both had forever, but even that wasn't long enough…
What has come over you, Jareth? he demanded thoughtfully, holding the crystal in front of his face as he watched Sarah play with a small goblin baby. Not too long ago you vowed not to let yourself be weakened by your emotions, and now here you are, wishing like some lovesick fool that Sarah will grow to love you. When did everything change?
When he realized that he'd fallen in love with her, that was when. It had crept up on him silently, stealthily, and then overwhelmed him with such power that he'd had no way to defend himself. Somehow Sarah, with her innocence and spirit, had slipped past every wall he'd constructed, physical and emotional, and destroyed them.
But he still had pride, and therefore refused to let her see his feelings, for if she were to know, she would only laugh at him…and that would destroy him completely.
The End! PLEASE tell me you liked it...otherwise I'll get discouraged! *giggles* ;o)
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 each time before! 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 things are starting to happen now!
A/N: If you didn't read the past 4 parts, I suggest you go do that RIGHT NOW before you read this part! It's no good starting in the middle of a story, especially when you have no idea what's going on! ;) I hope you all like this installment...I'm starting to 'run out of steam', so to speak, but I refuse to stop writing 'til it's finished, LoL! I don't want to rush things, either, because that would just ruin the story...so bear with all the winding twists! ;)
Say The Words
Sarah recoiled as though Hetta had tried to attack her. "He loves me?" she repeated in disbelief. "Why would you say something like that? What does a necklace have to do with love? He doesn't love anyone but himself!"
Hetta sighed impatiently. "It's not the necklace that proves he loves you! It's the power he's given you! King Jareth is a selfish man"-Hoggle grunted agreement with that-"so for him to give you any sort of power shows that you mean a great deal to him. You can't say you hadn't figured that out already!"
"No, I hadn't." Sarah tried to sound indignant at the woman's implication that she was stupid, but her response only came out sounding bewildered. Not that she believed Hetta, of course. If Jareth truly loved her, wouldn't he have given Toby back? Or better yet, he never would have turned her brother into a goblin in the first place! No, Hetta just didn't know Jareth well enough to realize that he had no capacity for love in his heart.
But do you know him all that well? she asked herself silently. Who's to say it isn't you who's mistaken?
"Come on," Hoggle said, uncomfortable with all the talk of love and feelings, "let's get out of here before Jareth does find us!" Ludo gave a rumbling agreement, and the group quickly made their way through the streets, toward Hetta's home. Sarah followed them all nervously, afraid the goblins who had run off were telling Jareth at that very moment about her friends' appearance. He had promised her that if she found them first, he wouldn't harm them, but had he been telling the truth?
"Here it is," Hetta announced, frowning in puzzlement when she saw that Sarah was about to keep on walking. Giving a start, Sarah stopped moving and cast a rueful smile at the goblin woman before looking at their destination. The two-story, slightly lopsided structure was right along the edge of the Goblin City, its walls made of plaster and its roof constructed of stone shingles (half of which looked like they were about to fall off). Windows were located sparsely, their shutters hanging so loosely that they too looked ready to fall away from the house. Yet despite its faults, the house looked quaint and cozy. Hetta made to go inside, but then turned and looked at Ludo with a frown. "What'll we do about him?" she asked, gesturing to her small front door. "He can't fit in here!"
"He fit in the last house he went into," Hoggle countered. "Just pulled the walls apart at the corner like it was nothin' and walked in…"
"He won't be pulling my walls apart!" Hetta shrieked indignantly, glaring first at her brother, and then at Ludo, who shrank back in wounded bewilderment. Sarah laid a reassuring hand on his arm.
"There's nothing we can do, then," Sarah said, "other than send him back into the Labyrinth to hide. Actually, I think the three of you should go back, so Jareth doesn't find you. I'm sure this will be the first place he looks."
"But my lady," Sir Didymus protested, "why can we not stay here and protect you? You said you needed us…"
"If you get caught, you won't be any help to me," Sarah pointed out. "I promise I'll call for you when I figure out what I'm doing, but right now I need you to hide!"
"What is it you want to do?" Hetta asked, fixing Sarah with a curious gaze. Sarah was a little hesitant to tell, but finally decided she could trust the goblin woman and started talking.
"Jareth turned my baby brother into a goblin," she explained, "and I need to find some way to defeat him and turn Toby back. But I don't know how. Well, I know if I could remember the right words to say, it would defeat him, but I can't remember the words!"
"Queen Sarah, why would you want to defeat Jareth?" Hetta asked in puzzlement. "Don't you love him?"
The question struck Sarah offguard for the second time in just a few short minutes. Love the Goblin King? The man who had single-handedly shattered her dreams and ruined any hope of a happy life? "Of course I don't love…" She trailed off, suddenly unable to finish her sentence. What was coming over her? She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling strangely disoriented. A similar sensation had swept over her when she'd bitten into that peach, but this was different somehow…
"Sarah?" Ludo's wide face was filled with concern as he tugged gently on the sleeve of her dress. Hoggle and Didymus also looked worried, but Hetta almost looked smug, as if she believed Sarah's silence was due to overwhelming feelings of affection for her king. The poor goblin had no idea what Jareth was like. Sarah smiled and waved off the concern.
"I'm fine," she assured, taking a calming breath. "I just have a headache, that's all. Will the three of you please listen to me and go back to the Labyrinth? I don't want you to be caught."
Hoggle nodded, albeit reluctantly. "We'll be here if you need us," he told her firmly. Didymus and Ludo were quick to echo the sentiment.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Hetta stated, ushering her brother away while still keeping a snug hold on her child. "Now listen to Sarah, before she gets angry!"
Sarah watched as her friends disappeared into the Labyrinth, and then continued to watch the spot where she'd last seen them. Hetta tapped her arm after several moments, effectively breaking her trance. "I'm sorry…I don't know what's wrong with me today!" She smiled ruefully at the goblin woman.
"No matter. We're all allowed to daydream sometimes, right?" She gestured for Sarah to enter the house first. "Why don't we go inside, and I'll make us a nice cup of tea."
"You sound like that worm I met when I first entered the Labyrinth," Sarah reminisced with a smile. Hetta chuckled.
"Willum? He's all the time inviting strangers to drink tea with him and his 'Missus'. Me, I only invite people who seem trustworthy. You are trustworthy."
"Me? Not really…"
"What do you mean? You saved my baby, and you rescued me…and I know you've stayed loyal to King Jareth, no matter what you said about 'defeating him'." Hetta once again acquired that expression which clearly showed that she felt herself to be very wise. Sarah chuckled softly.
"The whole reason I'm here to begin with is because I wished my baby brother away," she explained. "My parents asked me to take care of him for the night, and instead I wished for the goblins to take him! Do you think that sounds very trustworthy?"
"But you came here to rescue him, didn't you?"
"Yes, but my point was-"
"The point is, young queen, that you came back for him. You knew you did something wrong, and you fixed the mistake."
"Tried to fix it," Sarah corrected. "I failed."
"Which is why you think you have to defeat King Jareth? To save your brother?" Sarah nodded in answer to the questions. "Pardon my rudeness, Queen Sarah-though I'm sure you won't mind-but that's one of the silliest things I've ever heard. You don't need to defeat the king to save your brother!"
"What do you mean? How else do you think I could save him?"
Hetta paused to shrug before she sat her child on the floor so it could play. "It's as simple as telling him you love him," she replied, much to Sarah's impatience.
"I told you already, I don't-"
"Now, I've heard quite enough of that." The goblin woman fixed Sarah with a stern glance. "You're not going to get anywhere if you refuse to admit anything to yourself!" She spun around and set about making tea, while Sarah stood in silent thought. She almost wished something would happen, just to draw Hetta's attention away from the situation.
Almost immediately after the thought crossed Sarah's mind, the door burst open, and in trooped six armored goblins. Hetta shrieked and rushed to her child, scooping the tiny infant up in her arms as she backed away from the intruders. "Don't just stand there, girl! Run!" she cried, her voice cracking with the strain of shouting. Sarah also began to back away, eyes wide as she watched the goblin soldiers. Stupid or not, there was a ruthless look about them that bespoke of terrible violence, and she didn't want to be a victim of that violence. As the Goblin Queen, she should have been able to order them to leave Hetta's house immediately, but instinctively she knew that they wouldn't listen.
Jareth had been right. She had no authority in this land.
"Sarah! RUN!" Hetta screamed one last time, before she herself fled the room. Sarah stood, transfixed, as emotions began to war inside her. Fear was what caused her heart to beat so fast, but anger had the blood drumming in her ears. Why would Jareth make her his queen only to keep her from having any power? The power he'd given her meant nothing to these goblins. If the best she could do was grow wildflowers or make one goblin disappear into thin air, how was she supposed to intimidate six bloodthirsty creatures? By conjuring faeries to harass them? If Jareth was there right now, she'd give him a piece of her mind…
"Stop!" came the authoritative voice from just outside the house. Sarah couldn't believe her ears. The goblins, who'd raised their spears and were about to attack, suddenly began running into each other in their haste to retreat. And when the tall, imposing figure of the Goblin King ducked into the doorway, everyone in the room-Sarah included-was possessed by the urge to escape from the anger glittering in his mismatched eyes.
Jareth regarded the soldiers with unconcealed ire, and he picked up the one nearest to him by the throat. "If I ever--ever!--find out that you've tried to harm my queen again, I will think of a worse punishment than the Bog of Stench could ever provide. Do I make myself clear?"
The goblin went rigid with fear, its luminous eyes growing even wider than before. The other five who remained standing nodded and bowed anxiously. With a disgusted growl, Jareth threw the sixth goblin out the door, then stepped out of the way as the rest hurried out. He turned his gaze to Sarah, and his expression softened, if only marginally. By that point, she had regained her composure, and glared at him angrily.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, trying to ignore the unpleasant emotion that darkened her eyes.
"No thanks to you!" she spat. "They would have killed me!"
"And I stopped them." He refused to let himself respond to her anger. He'd had enough of being angry with her; in fact, he was just plain tired of it.
"But you shouldn't have had to!" she argued. "If I'm a queen, I should have been able to tell them to stop, and they would have listened! Instead, they tried to attack me like I was some…some peasant!"
"You're being dramatic, Sar-"
"No I'm not! You know I'm right! You know that if I'd had any power at all, I would have been able to stop them, just like you did a minute ago! But instead you just-"
"Enough of this." The words cracked like a whiplash, sending Sarah immediately into a state of silent shock. Jareth's strides swiftly closed the remaining distance between them, until he was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. "I am tired of the anger, Sarah, and I'm tired of the arguing. Hasn't there been enough of that? Can't we be allies…friends?"
"'Friends'?" She pronounced the word as if it was foreign to her, which wasn't far from the truth when the word was attached to Jareth. "How can you even ask that?"
"I've already told you," he replied. "I'm tired of this constant fighting between us! Why must you condemn me without giving me the simple courtesy of a second chance? Didn't you do the same for that dwarf?"
"Hoggle," she supplied. "He has a name. And as for chances, why do you think you even deserve one? You condemned yourself when you turned Toby into a goblin."
"Damn it, Sarah, I warned you at the very beginning what would happen to the baby if you failed! Would you stop throwing that back in my face?" Jareth bit off his next sentence, turning away from her as he fought to control his emotions. He was actually trembling with frustration! How could one girl do this to him? There was only one way he'd be able to stop the situation from becoming worse, and much as he didn't want it to be done, he knew it was for the best. When he again turned to face her, his face showed no emotion, not even the condescending smirk he wore so often. "If you refuse to make peace," he said carefully, "then I don't want you around. You're no longer permitted inside my castle. I don't know, nor do I care if you find a place to stay, but I refuse to let you bait me any longer with your childish temper tantrums." With a grand sweep of his cloak, he left the house. Sarah stared after him with her mouth hanging open, unable to even yell after him.
"I knew this would happen," Hetta said, appearing from the next room. "As soon as I heard you shouting, I just knew this would happen."
"Oh, Hetta…" Wearily, Sarah sank into a rickety chair and put her face in her hands. "How am I going to get Toby back now?"
"Stop worrying about it, for one!" The goblin woman's brisk tone brought Sarah's face back up. "King Jareth won't touch a hair on that babe's head, I'm certain. You'll get him back, but for now you need to wait. You can stay here until his temper's cooled down."
"Hetta, what's made you like Jareth so much?" Sarah demanded in wonderment. "He treats all of you so poorly, but you act like he's…well, wonderful! And wasn't he the one who had you captured?"
Hetta made a sound of disgust. "Of course not. It was those stupid goblin soldiers of his." She stared intently at Sarah. "I like King Jareth because I can see the good that's beneath all that arrogance. It's just for show, Sarah, can't you see that? Any emotion-except anger, of course-is a weakness to men like him. If he thinks you hate him, he's not going to tell you how he really feels!" She sighed. "You really are silly sometimes, girl, if you can't see what's right in front of your nose."
"Whatever you think of him, he's been nothing but cruel to me," Sarah stated firmly, crossing her arms. In her heart, she knew that wasn't so. There had been several times since she became queen that he had tried to show kindness to her, in his own awkward way. And each time, she had been the one to bait him to anger. But the only way she could feel safe around him was when he was angry…after all, she was unarmed against kindness. The only way she knew how to fight was with words and anger! "I have no reason to forgive him."
The goblin woman shook her head sadly, but said nothing.
The next few days settled into a boring but comfortable monotony. Sarah found herself enjoying the quiet lifestyle that Hetta led. The two of them would often sit in the kitchen over cups of hot tea, watching little Rilum play on the floor or discussing any manner of topics. Once, she had asked the goblin woman if she had a husband, but Hetta only gave a noncommittal response, obviously unwilling to discuss the subject. The rest of that day had been filled with tension between the two, but otherwise, they enjoyed each other's company.
Of course, Sarah couldn't resist using her necklace's power every so often, but she made sure not to let Hetta see that she was doing it, for undoubtedly the goblin would think she was doing it because it reminded her of Jareth. In truth, Sarah hardly thought of Jareth at all in the days following her eviction from the castle. Not that she never thought of him, but being away from him seemed to all but banish him from her mind. She found her mood lightening, until even Hetta remarked that she seemed to be another person entirely, not the somber girl she'd been almost a week ago. Obviously, Hetta had said, this separation from the Goblin King was doing wonders for her spirit.
Secretly, however, Hetta was puzzled by Sarah's sudden change in personality, and it wasn't just because of her more cheerful mood. There were times when the girl just seemed to be completely brainless! The goblin woman worried the most the day she asked what Sarah planned to do about Toby. It had been three days since the girl had made any mention of her brother, and Hetta was sure that by now, Sarah would be ready to go back to Jareth and make amends, thereby winning back the child. But when she asked, Sarah had only looked at her blankly, as if she had no idea what was meant by the question! "Toby?" she'd repeated, a curious sparkle in her hazel eyes. "Why would I do anything about him?" And her tone hadn't even carried a note of teasing sarcasm, which would denote that she was just throwing Hetta's earlier advice back at her…she'd been genuinely serious! That incident, plus other smaller ones, had set the goblin's nerves on edge. Something was happening to Sarah, and whatever it was, it wasn't good.
On the sixth day of Sarah's 'exile', Hetta announced that she had to leave for a little while. "Keep an eye on Rilum," she told Sarah, moving toward the front door. "I won't be gone long."
"Where are you going?" Sarah asked curiously, picking Rilum up and bouncing him gently until he gurgled happily.
"No concern of yours." Hetta managed a smile. "If anything happens, there's a trapdoor under that rug over there." She pointed to a faded rag rug positioned in the corner of the room. "Take Rilum and hide!" Sarah nodded and watched as Hetta left the house, then glanced down at the baby in her arms. "Where do you suppose your mama's going, hmm?"
Jareth twirled a crystal in his fingers, watching as the light glinted and refracted off its smooth surface. He'd been watching Sarah from the day he'd cast her out of his castle, hoping to see some glimmer of regret, or perhaps even a sign that she was willing to cast their silly feud aside and become friends. He wanted so much more, but for the time being, he was willing to try friendship. After all, they both had forever, but even that wasn't long enough…
What has come over you, Jareth? he demanded thoughtfully, holding the crystal in front of his face as he watched Sarah play with a small goblin baby. Not too long ago you vowed not to let yourself be weakened by your emotions, and now here you are, wishing like some lovesick fool that Sarah will grow to love you. When did everything change?
When he realized that he'd fallen in love with her, that was when. It had crept up on him silently, stealthily, and then overwhelmed him with such power that he'd had no way to defend himself. Somehow Sarah, with her innocence and spirit, had slipped past every wall he'd constructed, physical and emotional, and destroyed them.
But he still had pride, and therefore refused to let her see his feelings, for if she were to know, she would only laugh at him…and that would destroy him completely.
The End! PLEASE tell me you liked it...otherwise I'll get discouraged! *giggles* ;o)