Sarah gazed around in confusion, her brow furrowed, her mouth open to
ask a question. Suddenly from behind a tree came a low growl, and a
creature emerged like Sarah had never seen. A wolf, and a huge wolf
at that, with massive emerald dragon wings flapping on its back. Its
haunches moved into attack position, and Sarah did the only thing she
could think of- she turned and ran.
*****
Entering the chamber of the Goblin King, Talius quietly closed the
door behind him. He sighed softly as he looked down at Jareth,
reaching a hand down and gently smoothing back his blonde hair. He
had always seen Jareth as the closest thing to a son that he would
ever have, and in his heart, it was enough. The bond they shared
would never be what Jareth had shared with his real father, and
Talius obviously knew that. No, the bond he shared with Jareth was
different, but still heartwarming in its own way. Even though the
Gods knew that he could be a trying patient. Still, as Talius
watched him lying unconscious, his life slipping from him, he would
do anything to see him open his eyes.
Turning, Talius crossed the room to Jareth's most beloved crystal
ball and waved his hand over it. He saw The Land Of The Howlers, but
to his surprise, he could not find Stephan or Aislinn. He had
instructed the ball to show him the first sign of human life, and
indeed there was a human, but he did not know... Talius sat in a
combined state of alarm and confusion as he watched a pretty brunette
girl running from a winged Howler.
"Oh, no," Talius gasped, realizing the obvious identity of the girl.
"That must be Sarah!"
Talius closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.
*****
Sarah flung up her arms awaiting the attack, for she was exhausted and
could no longer run. 'Oh, Jareth,' she thought in
desperation. 'Where are you? Why are you letting this happen? Why-'
Suddenly, the earth around her began to swirl again. Sarah opened
her eyes to find herself looking up at a kindly man, his silver hair
falling around his face. For the life of her she couldn't place how
old he looked, for his face was wise yet youthful, and his emerald eyes
showed great wisdom. She looked around. She knew this room. It was
Jareth's bed chambers. From where she sat, Sarah could not see the
bed.
Talius looked down at Sarah and smiled in relief. "Hello. I am
Talius. You must be Sarah."
Sarah smiled and nodded as she accepted the hand Talius offered her
and he helped her to her feet. "Hello, um- can you tell me what's
going on please? I am very confused. You see, I thought Jareth
would be-"
Sarah stopped at the look on Talius' face. Immediately she knew
something was wrong.
"Wha- what is it? Talius, what's the matter? "
"My dear..." Talius glanced over at the bed. "I'm afraid something
has happened to Jareth."
Sarah gasped, trying to prepare herself for the worst.
"What? Where is he?" she whispered, wringing her shirt.
Talius gestured towards the other side of the room. Sarah turned her
head and gasped at the sight of her true love laying motionless and
white as a ghost on the huge bed.
Sarah ran to the bed and knelt down beside Jareth. Tears welled in
her eyes as she stared at his limp body and his deathly pale
face. She looked up with tears streaming down her cheeks as Talius
slowly walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
Sarah breathed deeply. "Is he-"
"No, my dear. He's still alive, but if Stephan and Aislinn don't-"
"Who is Aislinn?" Sarah shot in suddenly, immediately regretting her
outburst as she saw a shimmer of hurt surprise on Talius' face.
Quitely, she rephrased it. "I'm sorry... it's just I don't know who
she is."
Talius bit his lip. He knew Jareth had wanted to explain this, but
he would do his best. "My dear, Aislinn is a girl from Earth, who
wished herself here to learn Goblin Magic and escape her life. When
that happens, Jareth, by the law of his rule, must except her as a
student."
Sarah furrowed her brow. Another girl in the castle? How did Jareth
feel about her. Did he...?
Seeing the uncertainess in her eyes, Talius sat down on the bed
beside Sarah, gently taking her hands. "Sarah, look at me," he said
softly. Sarah slowly looked into his emerald eyes. "Jareth loves
you and only you. I've been around a long time, I know what true
love looks like. You and Jareth are soulmates." He smiled gently,
and Sarah gave him a weak smile in return. She trusted him. She
trusted him as if she had known him for years.
Talius' face turned somber, and he said quietly, "Stephan and Aislinn
are out searching for the herb that will cure Jareth of this
illness. It was magically induced, but we don't know yet what caused
it."
"So if Stephan and Aislinn can't find the herb in time-" Sarah
stopped and suddenly buried her head in her arms as she fell upon
Jareth's chest, crying harder than she had in her entire life.
Talius silently reached out but then pulled his hand back, knowing
there was nothing more he could say to comfort Sarah.
Sarah sobbed until the King's shirt was soaking wet and then slowly
pulled her head up from his chest and once again stared at his face.
Talius silently walked to the other side of the room and removed from
the closet another of Jareth's shirts.
"Talius,I- I-" Sarah stammered as she turned from Jareth.
"I know, my dear," Talius replied as he knelt beside her. Removing
the King's tear-soaked shirt, he then turned to look at Sarah. He
held out his arms to her and Sarah collapsed into his embrace.
Sarah felt so close to this man now, like she had known him forever.
As they pulled apart, Talius handed Sarah a handkerchief. As Talius
proceeded to place the dry shirt upon the unconscious Goblin King's
body, Sarah crossed the room and sat down in a plush velvet
armchair. She knew there was nothing to do now but await Stephan and
Aislinn's return.
Talius, however, had some other matters to attend to.
"My dear," he began, turning to Sarah. "I must make a potion that
will transform the Red Chive into a magical herb, for it must be
administered as soon as Stephan and Aislinn return. You may stay
here with Jareth." He added softly, "I will be back soon."
Sarah nodded slowly and watched as Talius silently left the room.
Sarah got up and returned to Jareth's bedside. Kneeling once again by
the bed, she gently lifted the King's head and even more gently
leaned down and placed her lips to his.
ask a question. Suddenly from behind a tree came a low growl, and a
creature emerged like Sarah had never seen. A wolf, and a huge wolf
at that, with massive emerald dragon wings flapping on its back. Its
haunches moved into attack position, and Sarah did the only thing she
could think of- she turned and ran.
*****
Entering the chamber of the Goblin King, Talius quietly closed the
door behind him. He sighed softly as he looked down at Jareth,
reaching a hand down and gently smoothing back his blonde hair. He
had always seen Jareth as the closest thing to a son that he would
ever have, and in his heart, it was enough. The bond they shared
would never be what Jareth had shared with his real father, and
Talius obviously knew that. No, the bond he shared with Jareth was
different, but still heartwarming in its own way. Even though the
Gods knew that he could be a trying patient. Still, as Talius
watched him lying unconscious, his life slipping from him, he would
do anything to see him open his eyes.
Turning, Talius crossed the room to Jareth's most beloved crystal
ball and waved his hand over it. He saw The Land Of The Howlers, but
to his surprise, he could not find Stephan or Aislinn. He had
instructed the ball to show him the first sign of human life, and
indeed there was a human, but he did not know... Talius sat in a
combined state of alarm and confusion as he watched a pretty brunette
girl running from a winged Howler.
"Oh, no," Talius gasped, realizing the obvious identity of the girl.
"That must be Sarah!"
Talius closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.
*****
Sarah flung up her arms awaiting the attack, for she was exhausted and
could no longer run. 'Oh, Jareth,' she thought in
desperation. 'Where are you? Why are you letting this happen? Why-'
Suddenly, the earth around her began to swirl again. Sarah opened
her eyes to find herself looking up at a kindly man, his silver hair
falling around his face. For the life of her she couldn't place how
old he looked, for his face was wise yet youthful, and his emerald eyes
showed great wisdom. She looked around. She knew this room. It was
Jareth's bed chambers. From where she sat, Sarah could not see the
bed.
Talius looked down at Sarah and smiled in relief. "Hello. I am
Talius. You must be Sarah."
Sarah smiled and nodded as she accepted the hand Talius offered her
and he helped her to her feet. "Hello, um- can you tell me what's
going on please? I am very confused. You see, I thought Jareth
would be-"
Sarah stopped at the look on Talius' face. Immediately she knew
something was wrong.
"Wha- what is it? Talius, what's the matter? "
"My dear..." Talius glanced over at the bed. "I'm afraid something
has happened to Jareth."
Sarah gasped, trying to prepare herself for the worst.
"What? Where is he?" she whispered, wringing her shirt.
Talius gestured towards the other side of the room. Sarah turned her
head and gasped at the sight of her true love laying motionless and
white as a ghost on the huge bed.
Sarah ran to the bed and knelt down beside Jareth. Tears welled in
her eyes as she stared at his limp body and his deathly pale
face. She looked up with tears streaming down her cheeks as Talius
slowly walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
Sarah breathed deeply. "Is he-"
"No, my dear. He's still alive, but if Stephan and Aislinn don't-"
"Who is Aislinn?" Sarah shot in suddenly, immediately regretting her
outburst as she saw a shimmer of hurt surprise on Talius' face.
Quitely, she rephrased it. "I'm sorry... it's just I don't know who
she is."
Talius bit his lip. He knew Jareth had wanted to explain this, but
he would do his best. "My dear, Aislinn is a girl from Earth, who
wished herself here to learn Goblin Magic and escape her life. When
that happens, Jareth, by the law of his rule, must except her as a
student."
Sarah furrowed her brow. Another girl in the castle? How did Jareth
feel about her. Did he...?
Seeing the uncertainess in her eyes, Talius sat down on the bed
beside Sarah, gently taking her hands. "Sarah, look at me," he said
softly. Sarah slowly looked into his emerald eyes. "Jareth loves
you and only you. I've been around a long time, I know what true
love looks like. You and Jareth are soulmates." He smiled gently,
and Sarah gave him a weak smile in return. She trusted him. She
trusted him as if she had known him for years.
Talius' face turned somber, and he said quietly, "Stephan and Aislinn
are out searching for the herb that will cure Jareth of this
illness. It was magically induced, but we don't know yet what caused
it."
"So if Stephan and Aislinn can't find the herb in time-" Sarah
stopped and suddenly buried her head in her arms as she fell upon
Jareth's chest, crying harder than she had in her entire life.
Talius silently reached out but then pulled his hand back, knowing
there was nothing more he could say to comfort Sarah.
Sarah sobbed until the King's shirt was soaking wet and then slowly
pulled her head up from his chest and once again stared at his face.
Talius silently walked to the other side of the room and removed from
the closet another of Jareth's shirts.
"Talius,I- I-" Sarah stammered as she turned from Jareth.
"I know, my dear," Talius replied as he knelt beside her. Removing
the King's tear-soaked shirt, he then turned to look at Sarah. He
held out his arms to her and Sarah collapsed into his embrace.
Sarah felt so close to this man now, like she had known him forever.
As they pulled apart, Talius handed Sarah a handkerchief. As Talius
proceeded to place the dry shirt upon the unconscious Goblin King's
body, Sarah crossed the room and sat down in a plush velvet
armchair. She knew there was nothing to do now but await Stephan and
Aislinn's return.
Talius, however, had some other matters to attend to.
"My dear," he began, turning to Sarah. "I must make a potion that
will transform the Red Chive into a magical herb, for it must be
administered as soon as Stephan and Aislinn return. You may stay
here with Jareth." He added softly, "I will be back soon."
Sarah nodded slowly and watched as Talius silently left the room.
Sarah got up and returned to Jareth's bedside. Kneeling once again by
the bed, she gently lifted the King's head and even more gently
leaned down and placed her lips to his.
