DISCLAIMER: I claim Gorbath and all of his army. The rest is just wishful thinking.
Chapter 5
Sarah pushed open the front door and stopped. Jareth was standing in the hall. Her eyes traveled quickly over his body. If she hadn't pulled the bolt from his leg with her own hands, she would never have believed he had been injured. His clothes and hair were as pristine as ever and Sarah wondered if that had happened instinctively or if he had truly remembered his magic.
She didn't notice Toby had moved until she heard her brother introducing himself.
"Hullo, Jareth. It's real nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out boldly to the Goblin King. Sarah quickly hid a grin behind her hand, surprised by Toby's casual acceptance of their guest. Jareth was equally startled but he recovered quickly.
"It's nice to meet you...again...Toby." Sarah gasped. Jareth frowned at the boy, who turned to glance at Sarah in confusion.
"I thought you said he didn't remember me!" he accused his sister. She was staring at Jareth with a strange expression, a worried frown playing across her features.
"You remember everything?" She asked Jareth in a strangled voice. Jareth's eyes narrowed as he watched her reaction.
"No," he said finally. "I...thought for a minute..." He shook his head in frustration, causing the blond wisps to sway gently. Sarah stepped forward and looked into his eyes. Yes, the shadows still haunted them. He didn't remember. She was partly relieved and partly disappointed. Confused by her emotions, she looked to her brother for help.
"Toby, remember what I said?" The boy nodded. He grabbed Jareth's hand and tugged him towards the sofa.
"Okay, Jareth," he said officiously, "I'm Sarah's brother, but I guess you kinda already knew that. So..." He paused in thought before brightening. "Have you ever played video games? They're the best!" He pulled the astonished king towards the television and plopped down on the floor. Confused, Jareth looked back at Sarah, trying to fathom what was going on.
She nodded encouragingly. "It's okay! You knew Toby in the past, so spending time with him might help your memory." She laughed at Jareth's comical expression.
"I seem to remember that these things were supposed to be bad for your mind, not the other way around," he murmured, finally submitting to Toby's pleas. Sarah leaned against the doorway and watched fondly as her brother instructed the Goblin King which controller button was the most useful and how to get that special bonus. Jareth was surprisingly good at manipulating the tiny buttons. Something to do with all that juggling he does? Sarah wondered.
She chuckled quietly as she moved into the kitchen. If someone had told her ten years, or even two days, ago that she would see Toby and Jareth sitting down together she would have never thought it possible. Yet now it seemed perfectly natural. She pulled a tub of ice cream out of the freezer, sitting down and eating absently.
Things were so different than they had been ten years ago. She had been a child then, frightened...no, terrified...of losing her brother to the evil Goblin King. And Toby had been too small to help her in any way. Now the children had grown up. Sarah was a young woman, capable of making her own way in the world and proud of her accomplishments and her brother was as much of a dreamer as she had been.
Had been. Sarah frowned to herself, taking another bite of ice cream. When had she stopped living in a world of fantasy? She hadn't even realized her dreams were gone until it was too late. She sighed as she reflected. Dreams belonged to the world of children, a world she had outgrown years ago.
And then there was Jareth. He was so...different now. She couldn't imagine the old Jareth, the Goblin King, sitting on the floor with a small boy and playing video games. She still couldn't entirely believe that he remembered nothing. What could possibly have been terrible enough to make him forget?
Laughter distracted her from her morose thoughts. She jumped slightly as Jareth trudged into the room wearing an expression of extreme patience. Toby was sitting on his shoulders, whooping in delight. Twirling her spoon idly in her fingers, Sarah couldn't help but grin.
"Aren't you a little old for piggyback rides, Toby?" The boy only laughed as he jumped to the floor. With a wince, Jareth lowered himself into a chair next to Sarah.
"That was not my idea of fun," he muttered to her as Toby began pulling open cupboards, looking for something to eat. Sarah grinned at his pained expression and was about to reply when Toby suddenly pounced on her.
"Sar-ah! Don't tell me you just ate all the ice cream! I thought you just bought that yesterday!" he whined. Startled, she looked at the tub before her and found that it was indeed empty. Now it was Jareth's turn to tease her. He raised an elegant eyebrow at the empty tub.
"My, my, Sarah. What was it you said about 'piggy' backs?" Toby began to giggle uncontrollably.
"What?" Sarah joked, brandishing her spoon at him. "Hey, you better be careful! I can do some real damage with this." Toby laughed even harder. Playing along, Jareth shrank away from Sarah and she rose, chasing him around the kitchen. Finally, she collapsed, wiping tears from her eyes. The whole scene was completely bizarre.
----------------
The whole scene was completely bizarre. Gorbath watched in a kind of awed stupor as the young woman chased the Goblin King around the room. A small boy watched and laughed. Finally, he turned away from his enchanted mirror to look at Sir Didymus.
"What in the world does he think he's doing?" he questioned aloud. Sir Didymus had also been watching the scene with curiosity.
"Well, your Majesty," he began in confusion, "methinks that the former king has decided that he no longer needs to remain here and has gone to be with his true love." It didn't really make sense to him. He knew Jareth loved Sarah, but how could Sarah ever care for such an evil man?
"Perhaps," Gorbath murmured, gesturing to his guards to return Didymus to the dungeon. The fox rode away proudly, expecting to be highly honored for his valuable contribution to his king. "But I think not." His gaze returned to the enchanted mirror.
"What are you playing at, Jareth? You should know better than to try to hide from me, but I at least thought that you had enough pride to fight for your kingdom. Perhaps I should seek you in the Earth place, then?" Just as Gorbath finally decided, a soldier rushed in.
"Your Majesty! The Labyrinth is crumbling!" The soldier fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Gorbath stared at him impassively.
"Yes, I know," he replied calmly. The soldier glanced up in surprise but the Warlord has already forgotten him. The fact that Jareth had escaped with the royal pendant was working to his advantage. Without its true ruler, the Labyrinth was collapsing, leaving an open path for his armies. He looked into the enchanted mirror one last time.
"You have chosen a perfect hiding place, your Majesty." He sneered at the pictures. "And when I have my armies here to support me, then I shall come for you. I hope you'll put up a better fight this time." The Warlord grinned blackly at the Goblin King's image.
"I will enjoy killing you very much."
End Chapter Five.
Chapter 5
Sarah pushed open the front door and stopped. Jareth was standing in the hall. Her eyes traveled quickly over his body. If she hadn't pulled the bolt from his leg with her own hands, she would never have believed he had been injured. His clothes and hair were as pristine as ever and Sarah wondered if that had happened instinctively or if he had truly remembered his magic.
She didn't notice Toby had moved until she heard her brother introducing himself.
"Hullo, Jareth. It's real nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out boldly to the Goblin King. Sarah quickly hid a grin behind her hand, surprised by Toby's casual acceptance of their guest. Jareth was equally startled but he recovered quickly.
"It's nice to meet you...again...Toby." Sarah gasped. Jareth frowned at the boy, who turned to glance at Sarah in confusion.
"I thought you said he didn't remember me!" he accused his sister. She was staring at Jareth with a strange expression, a worried frown playing across her features.
"You remember everything?" She asked Jareth in a strangled voice. Jareth's eyes narrowed as he watched her reaction.
"No," he said finally. "I...thought for a minute..." He shook his head in frustration, causing the blond wisps to sway gently. Sarah stepped forward and looked into his eyes. Yes, the shadows still haunted them. He didn't remember. She was partly relieved and partly disappointed. Confused by her emotions, she looked to her brother for help.
"Toby, remember what I said?" The boy nodded. He grabbed Jareth's hand and tugged him towards the sofa.
"Okay, Jareth," he said officiously, "I'm Sarah's brother, but I guess you kinda already knew that. So..." He paused in thought before brightening. "Have you ever played video games? They're the best!" He pulled the astonished king towards the television and plopped down on the floor. Confused, Jareth looked back at Sarah, trying to fathom what was going on.
She nodded encouragingly. "It's okay! You knew Toby in the past, so spending time with him might help your memory." She laughed at Jareth's comical expression.
"I seem to remember that these things were supposed to be bad for your mind, not the other way around," he murmured, finally submitting to Toby's pleas. Sarah leaned against the doorway and watched fondly as her brother instructed the Goblin King which controller button was the most useful and how to get that special bonus. Jareth was surprisingly good at manipulating the tiny buttons. Something to do with all that juggling he does? Sarah wondered.
She chuckled quietly as she moved into the kitchen. If someone had told her ten years, or even two days, ago that she would see Toby and Jareth sitting down together she would have never thought it possible. Yet now it seemed perfectly natural. She pulled a tub of ice cream out of the freezer, sitting down and eating absently.
Things were so different than they had been ten years ago. She had been a child then, frightened...no, terrified...of losing her brother to the evil Goblin King. And Toby had been too small to help her in any way. Now the children had grown up. Sarah was a young woman, capable of making her own way in the world and proud of her accomplishments and her brother was as much of a dreamer as she had been.
Had been. Sarah frowned to herself, taking another bite of ice cream. When had she stopped living in a world of fantasy? She hadn't even realized her dreams were gone until it was too late. She sighed as she reflected. Dreams belonged to the world of children, a world she had outgrown years ago.
And then there was Jareth. He was so...different now. She couldn't imagine the old Jareth, the Goblin King, sitting on the floor with a small boy and playing video games. She still couldn't entirely believe that he remembered nothing. What could possibly have been terrible enough to make him forget?
Laughter distracted her from her morose thoughts. She jumped slightly as Jareth trudged into the room wearing an expression of extreme patience. Toby was sitting on his shoulders, whooping in delight. Twirling her spoon idly in her fingers, Sarah couldn't help but grin.
"Aren't you a little old for piggyback rides, Toby?" The boy only laughed as he jumped to the floor. With a wince, Jareth lowered himself into a chair next to Sarah.
"That was not my idea of fun," he muttered to her as Toby began pulling open cupboards, looking for something to eat. Sarah grinned at his pained expression and was about to reply when Toby suddenly pounced on her.
"Sar-ah! Don't tell me you just ate all the ice cream! I thought you just bought that yesterday!" he whined. Startled, she looked at the tub before her and found that it was indeed empty. Now it was Jareth's turn to tease her. He raised an elegant eyebrow at the empty tub.
"My, my, Sarah. What was it you said about 'piggy' backs?" Toby began to giggle uncontrollably.
"What?" Sarah joked, brandishing her spoon at him. "Hey, you better be careful! I can do some real damage with this." Toby laughed even harder. Playing along, Jareth shrank away from Sarah and she rose, chasing him around the kitchen. Finally, she collapsed, wiping tears from her eyes. The whole scene was completely bizarre.
----------------
The whole scene was completely bizarre. Gorbath watched in a kind of awed stupor as the young woman chased the Goblin King around the room. A small boy watched and laughed. Finally, he turned away from his enchanted mirror to look at Sir Didymus.
"What in the world does he think he's doing?" he questioned aloud. Sir Didymus had also been watching the scene with curiosity.
"Well, your Majesty," he began in confusion, "methinks that the former king has decided that he no longer needs to remain here and has gone to be with his true love." It didn't really make sense to him. He knew Jareth loved Sarah, but how could Sarah ever care for such an evil man?
"Perhaps," Gorbath murmured, gesturing to his guards to return Didymus to the dungeon. The fox rode away proudly, expecting to be highly honored for his valuable contribution to his king. "But I think not." His gaze returned to the enchanted mirror.
"What are you playing at, Jareth? You should know better than to try to hide from me, but I at least thought that you had enough pride to fight for your kingdom. Perhaps I should seek you in the Earth place, then?" Just as Gorbath finally decided, a soldier rushed in.
"Your Majesty! The Labyrinth is crumbling!" The soldier fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Gorbath stared at him impassively.
"Yes, I know," he replied calmly. The soldier glanced up in surprise but the Warlord has already forgotten him. The fact that Jareth had escaped with the royal pendant was working to his advantage. Without its true ruler, the Labyrinth was collapsing, leaving an open path for his armies. He looked into the enchanted mirror one last time.
"You have chosen a perfect hiding place, your Majesty." He sneered at the pictures. "And when I have my armies here to support me, then I shall come for you. I hope you'll put up a better fight this time." The Warlord grinned blackly at the Goblin King's image.
"I will enjoy killing you very much."
End Chapter Five.