A Dream Resolved

Jareth was examining several crystals at once, allowing them to guide him over the terrain and toward any humans that were within the Underground.

There was a soft knock at his bedchamber door, and Jareth ignored it. The knock was a little more forceful this time. He rose, letting out a growl of impatience and opened the door. Mariana stood before, him, dressed in a dark red nightgown. She walked in without waiting for an invitation.

"Oh Jareth, I just heard about your friend!" she cried, "I'm so sorry, have you turned anything up?"

Jareth closed the bedroom door and walked back to where his crystals still quavered in the air.

"No."

Mariana walked behind him and put her hands with a light touch upon his shoulders. Jareth ignored her.

"I'm sorry that she's gone Jareth, but even if you don't find her, I'll always be here for you."

Jareth refocused his eyes from looking inside of the crystals to the actual surface of the glass. The reflection didn't seem quite right to him. He looked at one more closely and saw his own reflection gazing back at him. And behind him stood Mariana, her face was contorted in laughter.

Jareth turned his head around and Mariana was looking at him, her expression innocent. He turned back to his crystal.

"Mariana, I don't suppose that you heard anything about Sarah's disappearance?"

"If I had heard anything, you would be the first person to know." She said.

Jareth watched her reflection in the glass, and watched the other Mariana nod her head, yes, to the question he had just asked. He stood, setting the crystals down onto the table, and caught Mariana's wrists within his hands.

"Jareth, do you think it's right, so soon after she's been gone…" Mariana protested, but she closed her eyes, awaiting his kiss. But when it did not come she opened them again, Jareth was staring at her with the most peculiar expression.

"Enough of this." He said as he pushed her up with some force against a wall, "Where is she?"

"Wha…I don't know what you're talking about!" she cried.

He shook her, hard, "Don't you dare lie to me, or I will not hesitate to make you suffer."

"You wouldn't hurt me!"

Jareth spun her across the floor and she skidded on the ground, he approached her, his demeanor menacing, "Do not underestimate me Mariana. You are little more than a common goblin to me. Now tell me where Sarah is and I will not force you to endure a very long and painful demise."

Mariana attempted to use her magic to get her out of the castle, but to no avail. For some reason it didn't seem to be working.

"Don't bother with your magic, you may not use it within my castle, if I am aware of it." Jareth knelt down beside Mariana, his eyes burning with rage, but when he spoke, his voice was even, "Now you had better tell me where she is."

Mariana began to sob, her tears coming in great rivulets down her face, "It was Alorin, he told me to help him take her."

"Alorin? Where is he now?"

Mariana spoke between sobs, "He…he…said he'd tu…tu…take her to a hidden ru…ru… room under our ca…castle."

Jareth nodded, she was lying but not about all of it. He picked up a crystal and threw it down at the sobbing woman and she slumped over, unconscious. He focused his thoughts on the location of Mariana and Alorin's castle, He only hoped he wasn't too late.


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At the time Jareth was interrogating Mariana, Sarah was running down the darkening tunnel. Her heart hammered within her chest, and she heard Alorin's steps getting closer.

"There is no way out Sarah!" he yelled.

Sarah stopped as she saw the tunnel's end before her. She spun around and saw Alorin grinning at her. He motioned for her to come to him, with an upraised hand.

"Come now, don't be shy."

"Go to hell, you disgusting psycho!" she yelled back. Her mind was reeling, looking for some magic that she could do to help her out. What had her mother said? She searched desperately for it.

-Use what you've seen-

Sarah created a crystal, and felt the weight of it within her palm. Alorin was advancing closer, and smiled when he saw what she had done.

"So Jareth taught you how to do a few little tricks? I don't believe they'll help now."

Sarah closed her eyes, and imagined a similar situation from long ago. Then she looked at Alorin, and threw the crystal past his head. He ducked as it narrowly missed his temple and chuckled.

"I'm afraid you will need some practice." He was only about five feet away from her when Sarah heard the sound she had been waiting for. Alorin heard it too and turned.

A huge monstrosity that took up nearly all of the passageway, was making its way towards them. Alorin let out a yell.

"The Cleaners!" he cried, and turned to make a run for it, but the tunnel's end was before him. Sarah watched as the twirling metal loomed closer and she pushed herself against the side wall and shut her eyes tightly, waiting for what was to come.


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Jareth appeared in the tunnel, the sound of grinding metal reached his ears and he heard a sound that he would never, for the rest of his life forget. The sound of Sarah's scream traveled down the tunnel and he hurtled in that direction.

Jareth saw a mass of rubble littering the tunnel's floor and, clouds of dust obscured his vision.

"Sarah!" he yelled over the receding din. There was no reply. He ran down into the hallway, and saw Sarah pressed up against the wall, her face turned towards the stone. He ran to where she stood and turned her around. Her eyes were still shut, but otherwise, she appeared to be fine.

"Sarah." He said, and crushed her to him. How good it felt to hold her. He felt her slowly relax, and her arms encircled his waist.

"Jareth, I'm alive." She said. She disengaged herself from his embrace, "Where's Alorin?"

Jareth hadn't seen Mariana's brother and looked around. There was no sign of him anywhere. "I don't know." He answered.

"Jareth, I think the Cleaners got him!" Sarah looked up, "You wouldn't believe what happened to me. I…" She stopped speaking as Jareth covered her lips with his own.

"Sarah before you say another word I want to tell you how much I love you. I know that I have been cruel in the past, but if you could find it within yourself to give me a chance, I swear you will learn to love me as well."

Sarah was speechless, he really did love her? "Jareth, you don't need to do anything. I love you too."

Jareth kissed Sarah again, his heart was racing with excitement, "Sarah, would you consider staying with me? Would you be my Queen?"

Sarah kissed Jareth back just as fervently, "Yes!" she exclaimed, then she looked down, a blush coming to her face, "I love you Jareth."

"And I love you, Sarah." He kissed her forehead, and smiled, "Now let's go home and you can tell me what exactly happened here."

"Okay," Sarah agreed, "let's go home."