The Castle

Sarah had never really looked at the Goblin King's castle the first time she had been there and it came as quite a shock how beautiful the place really was. Sure there was trash littered some places but it couldn't mar the natural beauty of the castle.

They passed staircases of white marble and statues of angels, humans, and other strange, fascinating creatures. Large, intricate tapestries lined the walls, some depicting battle scenes and some bursting with flowers and lovers on grassy hillsides. Sarah was so engrossed with taking everything in she almost forgot that she was a prisoner, and she didn't notice the Goblin King scrutinizing her.

Jareth watched Sarah as she touched tapestries with light fingertips and sighed over one of the statues of two angels. He attempted to ignore a warm feeling that came into his stomach and shook his head. He couldn't…no, he wouldn't feel anything romantic for her. He admitted that there was a physical attraction, but that could be dealt with. However, he had almost allowed himself to feel for this girl last time she had been in his castle and the outcome had not been to his satisfaction.

So he continued on his way, leading his "companion" deep inside the castle and up into one of the highest bedrooms, and also the room across from his own.

"So, Your Highness, how long has this place been here?" Sarah jarred him out of his thoughts.

"For quite awhile now." He answered, "And please, do call me Jareth."

"I'd rather not." The last thing Sarah wanted was to become overly friendly with him.

Jareth stopped in his tracks and turned to her, his eyes were twinkling in the torchlight, "Sarah, you will call me Jareth, I insist."

Sarah narrowed her eyes, "Oh yeah, and I insist that you give me my ring back and let me go!"

"Quite a pity that it really doesn't matter what you insist on does it? As you have so eloquently put it, 'Life's not fair'." With that he continued walking.

Sarah felt her rage boiling within her. But for now she had no choice other than to comply with his wishes until she could find some way of getting out of here. And she would need to think of a way soon, something about the Goblin King's gaze made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.

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They continued the rest of the journey in silence and finally Jareth stopped and opened a beautifully carved mahogany door.

"After you." He motioned for her to step inside the room.

Sarah brushed past him, but all of her pretenses dissolved as she entered. The bed was made of the same mohogany as the door, but the posts were carved into four rearing unicorns. The rest of the room was just as breathtaking as if taken from a dream itself. At the other end of the room were two French doors leading onto a large balcony. Sarah walked over and stepped outside.

The view was of the Labyrinth. Sarah leaned against the railing so she could gaze as far as possible into the distance.

"Does this meet your approval?" Jareth spoke from directly behind her.

Sarah spun around and was suddenly conscious of how close he was standing to her. Her heart beat more quickly and she sidestepped so he was no longer completely in front of her. But he moved with her and before she knew what had happened he wrapped his strong fingers into her hair and reached his mouth down to her own.

His lips were strong and demanding, practically forcing her to return his kiss. Sarah had kissed a few boys from school but none of them compared to the strength and desire she felt emanating from Jareth. She felt herself, as if she were just a spectator, kiss Jareth back nearly as fervently.

Then it was as if she was kissing thin air. She opened her eyes and saw she was now alone. Sarah breathed in deeply and could still smell Jareth's scent in the air. She brought her fingers to her swollen lips.

"That rotten jerk!" she cried and picked up the nearest small object, hurling it across the room until it smashed satisfyingly on the door. She felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes. What was she doing here? What would her family think when she didn't return home? How could she possibly spend the rest of her life as Jareth's toy?

The tears flowed freely down her face and she threw herself onto the soft bed and cried until sleep claimed her.

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Jareth appeared into his room and stood, gripping the wall for a few moments trying to catch his breath. What had just happened in there? He hadn't intended to kiss her but after a few moments of doing so he felt as if he were going to explode. He had never experienced a feeling so intense that he could remember, and there had been a few.

He blinked rapidly and took a deep breath trying to clear his head. Sarah had been like nothing he had ever experienced. She was like fire. Like looking directly into the sun. He remembered dancing with her many years ago, and wanting to kiss her soft mouth, but never quite getting the chance to do so. Had he known it would be like this, he would never have let her leave his Kingdom. Forget rules.

But wait. What was he thinking? He could not keep her as a mistress. She was not the type of girl who did that for fun. And he certainly had no intention of marrying her. The idea was simply ludicrous. She was only a human, not quite the standard for the Goblin King. And she would want him to grovel, just as she had last time, he remembered how he had almost begged for her to stay and winced at the memory. No, he would leave well enough alone, apologize for his behavior and get along with the rest of his life. The last thing he needed was an affair to make everything even more complicated. He rang the servant bell and a few moments later there was a polite knock on the door.

"Come in."

A small goblin, Talien, Jareth thought, entered the room.

"Can I get you something, Your Highness?"

"Yes, Talien, we have a guest in the room across from here. I want you to have Molina attend her as an honored guest. She is to have all she desires. Understand?"

The goblin nodded hastily.

"Good. Tonight the lady and I will dine together in the main hall. I want everything clean this time! Is that clear?"

"Yes your Majesty."

The goblin stood for a few moments until Jareth's eyes widened, "Well, well, get on with it!"

Talien practically ran for the door.