You should know by now, I don't own this.
Sarah sat curled on the throne, her eyes wide as she looked at the crystal in her hand. She had made it without the medallion, without something to help her create magik. With a moan she threw the crystal and watched it shatter at the Goblin King's feet, trying to chase off the look of fear on her face before he saw it.
Jareth stared at the shattered crystal for a moment before looking up at Sarah.
"Are you ready to return aboveground girl?" he asked, playing his part as she expected.
"I did that without the medallion, what's happened to me?" Sarah asked quietly, not looking at him, but staring straight ahead.
Jareth sighed. "I told you what has happened."
"But I'm just a normal human, nothing magik," she said, throwing a crystal at the window.
He walked around to stand beside her. "And mortals can travel between worlds and kidnap children…or at least scare the crap out of them?"
"I used the medallion, I didn't create magik, only borrowed it," she whispered, glancing her hands.
He knelt down beside her and took her hands in his.
"You think a simple piece of metal can hold so much magik? It would run out. It only helped you to learn how to use magik. It made it easier for you."
"I'll never fit in if I went back, I'd forever have to watch myself to make sure I didn't use magik and scare someone or be trapped as a science experiment or something," Sarah murmured, leaning her head back against the throne.
He smirked. "How do you think I got stuck here? You think I inherited the place?"
Sarah sat up straight and looked at him in surprise. "I thought you're fae or something?"
He laughed and smiled softly at her. "Do I really look that good?"
Her lips curved up slightly and she nodded. "So, how did you come to be Goblin King?"
Jareth opened his mouth to answer but his stomach growled up at him.
"Could we talk about this while eating? I haven't had a bite to eat since I left Mars."
Sarah nodded slowly and let him help her up. "I'm not very hungry," she murmured as she walked next to him down the hallway, wondering what would happen now. She obviously couldn't go home, the first time she slipped up and used magik, she'd find herself being poked and prodded by curious scientists. That meant she would have to stay here with Jareth and continue stealing children. Staying here she might handle, but she didn't want to go on stealing innocent kids, she had hated that. At least she now understood why Jareth had acted cruel and contemptuous, it was probably the only thing that kept him sane. She knew it had kept her from bouncing off the ceiling.
Jareth watched her as he walked. She looked a little down.
"Would you like to eat with your friends tonight perhaps? I could eat alone an we could talk more tomorrow."
Sarah shook her head, still thinking. "I want to find out how you got to be the Goblin King."
He nodded and led them to his…er…her rooms and opened the door for her.
"If I'm going to tell you that then I want to be in private."
"I thought you were hungry," Sarah murmured, slipping off her sandals and curling up in one of the chairs.
Jareth dragged over a small coffee table and a chair then formed a crystal and stared at it for a moment, then it disappeared.
"Dinner will be here in a few minutes." He lounged sideways in his chair and watched her. He sighed.
"I haven't told this to anyone. Hoggle might know. He's been here long enough but I don't think anyone else does. It's really not all that different from your adventure...except for one thing."
"You mean that you wished away a sibling?" Sarah asked, watching Jareth.
Jareth nodded, looking at his hands.
"So, what happened that was different?" Sarah asked quietly, raising Jareth's face with her fingertips until he looked at her.
He blushed. "I didn't make it to the center in time. The Goblin King at the time was tired of his work and taught me the magic. Then he took my baby brother and left. I don't know where he went but in order to learn the labyrinth I had to re-make it."
Sarah sat for a moment, silent. "Did you ever find out what happened to your brother?"
He nodded. "Yes. The king took him back to my parents and made them forget about me."
Jareth sat straight in his chair and rubbed at his chin. "I was jealous. I was an only child then my mother and father had another boy. The babe got all of their attention. I guess I felt neglected and wanted things back the way they were…so I wished my brother away. I realized that when the king came, I had made a huge mistake. He was my brother after all. So I tried to get him back…but I couldn't. The king told me to go back but I knew my parents would miss my brother so I offered to take his place instead. The king accepted. My brother went back. I was forgotten and I became king."
Sarah couldn't think of anything to say, so she took his hand and gently squeezed it.
To her surprise Jareth laughed. He leaned back in his chair, smiling sadly at her.
"Oh Sarah don't give me your pity. I could have found my brother if I had wanted. I was just too spoiled and bratty. Being that way works out well in this type of business. It was so long ago Sarah. Nothing can be changed now."
Sarah frowned slightly and pulled her hand back. "Well, you couldn't be that spoiled or you would have let the goblin king keep your brother instead of volunteering to stay."
Jareth traced the lines on his palm. "Guilt is a powerful thing Sarah."
There was a light knock on the door. Jareth got up and after a moment wheeled back a small cart with various foods on several trays.
"Dinner is served," he said sitting down.
Sarah looked at the food and lifted an eyebrow. "Chinese?"
Jareth nodded and pulled out a short stout pot from under the cart.
"Green tea?"
"Yes please, but I'll pass on the food, I'm not hungry."
He nodded and poured two cups then began to fill a small plate with little bits of food. He then picked up a pair of chopsticks and began to eat, still sitting sideways in his chair.
Sarah sipped slowly at the tea and watched as Jareth speared his food. "So, what happens now?"
He frowned at his bowl.
"I practice using chop sticks for a few minutes. Then I'll eat."
Sarah sighed. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
He blinked up at her. "It's your choice I suppose. You could go. You could stay. You could do both."
"If I go back I'll slip up sooner or later, and then I'll be poked, prodded, and passed around by various scientists who are endowed with great curiosity."
Jareth nodded, still struggling with his chopsticks. "If I had gone back I would have been considered a warlock and burned at the stake. Nasty way to die. You could stay."
Sarah's eyes widened and she stared at him. "Exactly how long have you been here?"
He smiled as he managed to pick up a piece of reddish brown meat. "In the years which you tell time…since 1692."
A small noise escaped Sarah's throat and her eyes widened. "For being over three hundred years old you look very good," she murmured.
He puffed up with pride as he began to relearn how to use chopsticks, managing to get a piece to his mouth every few moments.
"I know."
Sarah watched him struggle with the tiny sticks for a moment more before shaking her head.
"You hold them like this," she murmured, taking the chopsticks from him and putting them correctly back in his hands.
He moved his fingers, causing the sticks to click softly as they touched. He tried it on some food and actually snatched up a piece. He looked very please with himself.
"Thank you," he said as he continued his meal. "So, what do you think you'll do?"
"I'll probably just stay here. Do you know how to make people forget about me?" she asked softly, leaning back in her chair.
He set down his plate and began to fill it again with goodies.
"It will simply happen. I would be surprised if it hasn't already happened. The only thing I'm concerned about is your brother. Toby…isn't it?"
Sarah nodded slowly. "What about him?"
"He's been here before. I wonder if he'll still remember you."
"Let me check," Sarah whispered, a crystal slowly forming in her hand. A vision of her brother appeared and she allowed him to see her face.
Toby's eyes widened as he watched the disembodied head.
"Who-who are you?" he stumbled over his words.
"Just a dream, you'll forget in a moment," Sarah whispered with a sad smile, taking the memory from him as she vanished. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and fought against her tears, not wanting to cry in front of Jareth.
Jareth set down his bowl and stood. He walked around to the side of her chair and knelt down.
"Perhaps you would like to go to your rooms now."
He thought for a moment, remembering that she had claimed these rooms while he had been gone. She was already in her rooms. "Er…that is perhaps you would like to go to sleep. I'll leave you then."
Sarah shook her head. "These are really your rooms, I'll find others to stay in," she murmured, tossing a crystal at her feet and disappearing as a tear dropped onto her cheek.
