A/N: okay, this part's a bit
slow. It's a transition thing, don't
worry, we're getting to the actual plot soon (and you thought this was just a
romance!) thanks for all the reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own
anything. I haven't even gotten
creative enough to make up my own characters (yet) Don't sue me, as all you'll
get is thirteen cents, a half-empty coke bottle, and my Algebra book.
For You
Part Four
Jareth carried Sarah back to the castle, as she was too exhausted to be transported via one of his crystals, and too busy crying hysterically to walk herself. By the time Jareth laid her down in her bed, she was already asleep. He wanted to kick himself for loosing his temper at her, and even more so for letting her run off alone. At least she wasn't yelling at him anymore.
When Sarah awoke a few hours later, the brilliant pink and orange rays of the setting sun lighted up her room. Still feeling rather shaken up from the day's episode, she decided to just lie in bed a little bit longer. Suddenly Sarah realized she could hear some faint voices, coming from the hallway outside her room. Walking carefully so as not to alert the speakers, Sarah put her ear to the door to better hear the argument.
"- brought nothing but trouble, and so it still is."
"Don't talk about things you don't understand!" The second voice sounded very angry, and unmistakenbly belonged to Jareth.
"Sire, it is not my intent to anger you. I am, after all, only the messenger."
"Such a pity that Abien didn't have the courage to come here himself." Jareth continued to say something else, but he lowered his voice and Sarah could not make out the words.
"Of course, sire." Said the other voice a few moments later. "And I'll send someone to wake the girl." Assuming that it was her voice was referring to, Sarah hurriedly crawled back into bed. She didn't want anyone to know she'd been listening.
Shortly thereafter, what Sarah guessed was an elf came briskly into the room. She couldn't have been more that three and a half feet tall, and had long reddish-brown hair. The clincher, however, were her pointed ears.
"Good, you're already awake." The elf said. Sarah remained lying down, still trying to feign sleep. How had the elf known?
"Oh, come on, miss, you've got to hurry up and get ready, his highness has called for you." Sarah sat up abruptly, and stared at the elfian woman, who was bustling about, and pulling a dress out of the closet.
"I don't care if Jareth's called for me. I don't want to be anywhere near him." The elf smiled.
"His highness certainly can loose his temper. But you can't hold it against him miss. He's been very generous to you these past few days."
Sarah, beware. I have been generous, up until now, but I can be cruel.
"My name's Cara by the way, miss, and if you need anything, you can always call. Now how about getting into this dress, hmm? His highness will be shocked by how ravishing you'll look."
Sarah was about to protest when she actually looked at the dress. It was a soft lavender color, and made of silky satin. She allowed Cara to pull it over her head, and admired the way it shimmered when she moved. The gown also had a plunging neckline edged in ribbon – that's Jareth for you – Sarah thought to herself. The dress parted in the middle to reveal a creamy skirt, delicately embroidered. Sarah was astonished by all this glamour; her dresses so far had been rather plain.
Cara had just finished arranging Sarah's freshly curled hair on top of her head when a knock came at the door. Cara opened it and a goblin rushed in, bringing Sarah a small white box. It scurried away just as fast, and Sarah only stared at the gift in her hands.
"Aren't you going to open it miss?" Cara asked airily.
Sarah pulled off the lid, and her eyes grew wide when she saw what was inside. On a dainty silver chain, hung a golden half moon, with the symbol of infinity engraved in its center. It was Jareth's pendant.
Sarah sat silently as Cara slipped the chain around her neck, and felt the cold metal resting evenly against her chest. She stared at the note that lay at the bottom of the white box. In what Sarah assumed was Jareth's hand, were the words, For Tonight.
***
Jareth paced up and down the dining hall. What on Earth was taking so long? Was she still mad at him? Did she like his gift? It was the gift he was most worried about. Sarah never seemed to receive his gifts very well.
Angrily he recalled the conversation he had had a few hours ago, shortly after he brought Sarah back from the Chamber of Doors. He had called back the fae doctor who had tended Sarah when he had first brought her to the Underground.
"Really, sire, there is no cause to worry. Her little adventure has done no harm to her physically, just frightened her a bit."
"Are you absolutely sure of that?" Jareth had questioned, grabbing the portly doctor by the shirt collar.
"Positive, your majesty." Answered the bristled fae, pulling from Jareth's grasp. "I would even go so far to say that your patient is in near perfect condition. In fact, I think she is safe to travel home tomorrow."
"What?!" Jareth had practically yelled. He had hauled the physician out into the hallway, so as not to disturb Sarah. "She can't possibly be better already! You ought to watch what you say, old man, or I'll pitch you head first into the Bog of Eternal Stench."
"It's true sire." The doctor insisted. "She seems very well indeed. I say, the Labyrinth must be agreeing with her." Jareth had practically thrown the fae out of his castle in a fit of rage, when yet another fae had appeared before him.
"Abien." Jareth growled at the memory under his breath, still pacing. "I swear, he has the worst possible timing. Flooding me with his imbecile messengers." Jareth didn't have time to continue that train of thought, however, because Sarah entered the room.
She looked stunning. Jareth almost let his jaw drop in astonishment. Her form-fitting dress rustled softly as she walked through the door, and she was wearing his necklace! Her hair looked so lovely he wanted to reach out and touch one of the soft tendrils that had fallen down from the rest. He settled, however, for pulling her chair back for her.
Sarah eyed him warily. Jareth was never this silent, or this polite. "Why so formal?" She asked.
"Everything I do, I do for you." Jareth replied absently, as though he was deep in thought. Sarah toyed with her food for a bit, then realized Jareth was staring at her.
"Cara said a doctor came while I was asleep." Sarah said, trying to end the awkward silence and Jareth's intense staring. "What did he say?" Jareth appeared to be pondering the answer to her question.
He couldn't let her leave yet. She just got here, he wasn't going to loose her again. The Goblin King doesn't offer his love twice! Nagged a voice in the back of his head. Mentally telling the voice to shut up, Jareth tried to look at Sarah sympathetically.
"He said that today's little adventure had some unfortunate effects on you. You need a few more days rest, at least."
"This is all your fault you know." Sarah replied sullenly.
"My fault? What are you talking about?"
"If you hadn't yelled at me, and almost slapped me I wouldn't have run away."
"If you weren't so sensitive than I wouldn't have offended you." Stay calm, and don't yell, Jareth told himself.
Sarah threw her napkin down on the table. "You'll always be the same insufferable person you were three years ago!"
"And you, Sarah, are apparently the same selfish girl who whined too much."
"You threw me down a hole! And chased me with the Cleaners, and had my head nearly torn off, and sent your goblins to attack me!"
This was too much for Jareth. "You deserved it. And I never hurt you. I may have scared you, but I never hurt you."
"You threw a snake in my face!" Sarah shot back.
"It was a scarf!" Jareth growled.
"You kidnapped my baby brother!" Sarah shrieked, leaping up from her seat and knocking her chair over.
"I only did what you asked me to do."
"But I didn't mean it."
"Oh you didn't?" Jareth strode towards her, and Sarah backed away, until she had backed herself up against a wall. Placing his hands on either side of her shoulders, Jareth had her trapped. "I gave you the chance at repentance. I let you traverse my Labyrinth, and rescue your brother. I let you redeem yourself. What chance at redemption have you given me?!" And with that he stormed out of the dining room. Sarah heard a door slam, and guessed it was the door to his chambers, where he had first brought her.
What had she done? Nervous, Sarah began to pace.
***
It was an hour before Sarah came up with a plan, and another forty-five minutes before she got up the courage to enact it. Try as she might, Sarah couldn't deny it. Jareth was right. And for some strange reason, Sarah hated the thought of Jareth alone in his chambers, fuming.
Clutching a slip of parchment she had gotten from her room, Sarah walked determinedly down the shadowy hallways to his quarters. At first she had tried to work out some great speech to say, but somehow she just couldn't apologize to the haughty Goblin King. She did still hate him, after all. In the end she decided that when he opened the door, she would wordlessly thrust him the paper, and walk back out again. Then things should work themselves out the next morning.
Jareth, however, had other plans. When Sarah was about five feet from the door, and stealing up her courage to knock, he called tonelessly out to her. "Go away Sarah. I'm busy."
Sarah stared blankly at the still closed door in front of her. Now what? She couldn't spend the rest of her recovery time avoiding him, could she? Finally Sarah just slid the parchment under the door, and hoped Jareth would find it.
Jareth was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling when he heard Sarah coming. He regretted his harsh dismissal instantly after he said it, but refused to recall it. He sat up quickly when he saw Sarah's pale white fingertips slip a bit of paper under his door. He smirked. She was still so brave, even after he yelled at her. He knew he would never find another that would oppose him so.
Picking up the paper, Jareth unfolded it, then stared in disbelief at the words hastily scrawled across it, in Sarah's own nervous hand: