Through a Crystal Pool by Lady Cailin
Authors Note/Disclaimer:
Hi! Sorry it's been so long everyone! I've been very busy recently and haven't had the time to write much at all. Life sometimes gangs up on you in a dark alley and forces you to give it all your time.
Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed! I only finally made time to write this weekend and when I did I found all those wonderful reviews waiting for me. You guys are great! However, I'm putting my foot down, this is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!
The words withing [these] are quoets from the movie which (hopefully) set the mood without being confusing. They are supposed to be centered but I don't have faith that it'll end up like that after upload, so you all get weird markings. Sorry.
Jareth/Sarah/Labyrinth copyrighted by the Jim Henson Company. I take no financial benefit from the following fanfiction which was writen without the creator's consent.
[What do you want? Do you want a story? Huh? Okay. . .]
Sarah turned into her pillow as anguished sobs ripped through her body and an ache settled in her heart. The room around her was a deafeningly silent observer to her grief, and a cold reminder of reality that only drove the roots of her anguish deeper. Her fingertips tingled in remembrance of reaching for Jareth and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of his eyes, the memory of crystalline dust.
He was gone.
Jareth couldn't be gone her heart cried. He was her Goblin King, her terrible enemy and her secret longing, the center of every truly passionate emotion she had ever had.
Gone. . .
[Once Upon a Time, there was a beautiful young girl
whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby
the baby was a spoiled child
he wanted everything for himself
and the girl was practically a slave!
But what no one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with her
and gave her certain powers.}
Jareth sat silently balanced on the old limb of the oak which stood guard outside Sarah's room. He had watched her from here many nights, nights when the yearning within him could not be subdued by watching a pale reflection in a crystal. Nights when he almost hurt with longing for a girl who controlled him with dreams and bled his heart daily.
Tonight was worse.
Tonight all those longing nights pushed together as one ache in his heart, and ache made all the more bitter by hope. He had thought when he first felt that silent tug, that call in the night, that it was finally over. He had hoped that at last Sarah had found that part within her that knew. That part that whispered, cried that they were tied beyond love or lust or destiny. He had become well aquatinted with that whisper, that heart wrenching need. . .
But there were rules that bound even a Goblin King.
["Say your right words," the goblins said, "and you will be free."]
Sarah brushed the tears from her skin and pushed away from the bed, scrambling to the corner where she had banished her drawing. Something told her that if that picture was still there, then so was Jareth. It was a mad, unreasonable conclusion, but her heart whispered that the picture was proof. This was proof to banish nightmares and force the ache from her chest.
She held her breath as she flipped to the drawing in her portfolio, the moonlight poring from her window shifting to reveal the dark marks of her pencil.
Smeared.
What had once been a beautiful rendition of the proud and calculating Goblin King was now a dark mass of smeared pencil marks, the sure sign of an artist with a heavy hand. It was unrecognizable, all except for the eyes, those sad, lovely eyes.
Her hand hovered above those eyes that had seemed so mocking only this afternoon. Now they reflected that same pain she had glimpsed when she had said those words.
Those damn words.
[. . .You have no power over me. . .]
It was her fault. All of it. Hadn't she been the one to wish Toby away? Like a child she'd blamed him all these years, pushing him away from the realm of her heart with that silent reminder.
Tormentor. . .monster. . .Goblin King. . .
[What have you done that's generous?]
She'd kept him in the shadows of her memory, branded him a villain and ignored everything else. Ignored the memory of his face as she turned from him in the ballroom. She'd ignored every revealing look, every silent hint that there was something missing within the picture. She'd pushed aside the anger, the dark cry in his voice. She hadn't even tried to understand because that wasn't how it was done.
The fairy-tale princess didn't fall in love with the evil goblin king.
She hadn't looked beyond that. It was too simple to play out the part, just like acting out a scene from a play. It had been too easy to reduce him to the role of tyrant and ignore the rest. A sob ripped from her body and she clutched the picture to her, tears falling on the thick paper of her art book.
He'd even helped her keep the illusion, let her play her part.
[Everything!
Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken.
I took him
You cowered before me.
I was frightening.
I have reordered time.
I have turned the world upside-down and I have done it all for you!
I am exhaused from living up to your expectations of me
Isn't that generous?]
Her sobs quieted again after a time and she sat unmoving in the corner, the sketchbook cradled to her tightly. A strange, empty sort of calm washed over her as her tears dried, leaving salty trails on her cheeks. Tired and emotionally drained, one clear thought came through to the for front of her mind.
She'd failed.
She'd fallen in love with the Goblin King.
Sarah glanced down at the sketch again, to see those sad eyes watching her. She loved Jareth. She'd fallen in love with one of the most spoiled, aggravating men in existence. She smiled briefly, a slimmer of humor brushing to the surface at that thought. Wouldn't Karen be _delighted_ with that. Then again Dad would be down right livid that she'd fallen in love with a man who wore tights. Toby. . .Toby would be happy because she'd fallen in love with a man who would give her the world and more if she asked.
The question was, could she still ask?
["Say your right words," the goblins said, "and you will be free."]
"I wish. . ."
* * *
Jareth forced at least the guise of outer calm. His eyes, as always, gave away the truth. The Goblin King, the master of cold indifference and boredom, was half mad with worry and hope. Sarah knew the power of a wish by now, knew that once spoken from the heart, it couldn't be taken back. If she made the wish now then he wouldn't let her take it back damn it. She'd be his, body, heart and soul forever. A fierce surge of possessiveness raced through his veins at that thought and he closed his eyes again the site of her. If she didn't say the words. . .
The wind picked up as the world around him readied for a storm, the wind howling low through the trees.
"Say it Sarah." Firey mismatched eyes opened to reveal a mailstrom of emotions. "Say the words."
[Just fear me-
Love me-
Do as I say-
and I will be your slave]
Sarah's hands tightened on the sketchbook until her knuckles turned white. So much to loose if she said it. . .But god how much more she could gain. . .
"I wish. . ."
She stood, closing her eyes as her whole heart opened to the wish, putting everything she had into this one desire.
"I wish Jareth was here. . ."
Thunder crashed as the wind beat against the windows of her room. Please god, please let it work. I'll give anything, do anything, just let it work.
". . .right now!"
* * *
Hoggle smiled in a way that looked almost pleasant and gentle on his worn face. The goblins huddled around him gurgled and made sounds of appreciation as they watched Sarah speak the words through the quick silver puddle. He was glad he'd followed his instincts and come to the palace. That was the thing about the Labyrinth, you could feel it in your bones when something magical was happening. The crystal pool in the Goblin King's thrown room had drawn the creatures of the Labyrinth like bees to honey.
He frowned fiercly at a group of goblins shoving at his right, everyone wanted to see what would happen next, now that the girl who ate the peach had finally called to the Goblin King who liked to watch her.
Everyone watched, most afraid to move or even breath as the scene unfolded. Ludo audibly sucked in and then held his breath as the Goblin King appeared sprawled across the bed of Sarah's room. He looked casual enough, but those who knew him well, or at least the ones who paid attention, could tell he was anything but calm.
"You should really try not to cry Sarah. It makes you turn rather puffy and red. You look as if you'd gotten your first smell of the Bog."
Various sounds of disaproval echoed throughout the thrown room as the group observing heard the Goblin King's comment.
"I say that wasn't quiet what I had expected his Majesty to say right then. Do you think she could say the words again and he could have another go?" Sir Didymus asked worriedly as Sarah's eyes snapped open with a flash of anger evident.
"Jareth bad." Ludo agreed, peering into the pool.
Hoggle wasn't that worried. Jareth didn't handle vulnerablity very well. In fact Jareth didn't handle most emotions well. Sarah had just admitted her own feelings by calling him, but it was now time for the Goblin King to echo his own. If that were all they had to hang their hats on it would end up being a very long night.
Luckily, Sarah didn't look all that angry once she finally turned and saw Jareth lying there. That meant she was happy to see him. Which meant Jareth had a chance of coming to his senses before his ego ruined everything.
Hopefully that is.
Sarah carelessly tossed the sketchbook back into the corner as she approached the bed, her expression hardening. The group around the pool waited with baited breath as she stopped in front of the casually sprawled Goblin King and put her hands on her hips, her chin up.
"You are the most aggravating, spoiled, contemptible man I have ever met." The group flinched, a groan rising up among them. Hoggle noticed Jareth didn't look to happy at the moment either.
"You steal babies, specifically my brother and you put me through hell in your Labyrinth."
Ludo groaned, covering his eyes as he rocked his giant body back and forth, almost dislodging several of the goblins perched on him.
"It doesn't look good men. I'm afraid I shall have to take matters into my own hands and-" Hoggle frowned and covered Didymus' mouth as Sarah continued, her expression softening.
"You also gave me the best friends I've ever had and made me appreciate having Toby. You showed me I could grow up without loosing my imagination and the magic. You. . ." Her voice broke as he rose from the bed to stand in front of her, his mismatched eyes looking down on her with an unreadable expression, her own filling with tears again.
"You. . . Jareth I love you." The words were barely past her lips before his own captured hers in their first kiss.
Hoggle smiled as the room went up in cheers. He was glad the little missy would be happy. He could have wished for someone _other_ than the Goblin King to take her heart, but he knew Jareth would treasure her above all things. With any hope she'd have a good effect on him.
She might even get him to remove the Bog.
Authors Note: Bah, I have the icky feeling that I could have done better, so you may see a revision of this at a later date. Well I'm hoping to get back to my writing by next weekend. This weekend I made time for catch up on this and other fics where I had promised readers chapters. Next weekend you guys will get to see something new. Until then!
Authors Note/Disclaimer:
Hi! Sorry it's been so long everyone! I've been very busy recently and haven't had the time to write much at all. Life sometimes gangs up on you in a dark alley and forces you to give it all your time.
Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed! I only finally made time to write this weekend and when I did I found all those wonderful reviews waiting for me. You guys are great! However, I'm putting my foot down, this is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!
The words withing [these] are quoets from the movie which (hopefully) set the mood without being confusing. They are supposed to be centered but I don't have faith that it'll end up like that after upload, so you all get weird markings. Sorry.
Jareth/Sarah/Labyrinth copyrighted by the Jim Henson Company. I take no financial benefit from the following fanfiction which was writen without the creator's consent.
[What do you want? Do you want a story? Huh? Okay. . .]
Sarah turned into her pillow as anguished sobs ripped through her body and an ache settled in her heart. The room around her was a deafeningly silent observer to her grief, and a cold reminder of reality that only drove the roots of her anguish deeper. Her fingertips tingled in remembrance of reaching for Jareth and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of his eyes, the memory of crystalline dust.
He was gone.
Jareth couldn't be gone her heart cried. He was her Goblin King, her terrible enemy and her secret longing, the center of every truly passionate emotion she had ever had.
Gone. . .
[Once Upon a Time, there was a beautiful young girl
whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby
the baby was a spoiled child
he wanted everything for himself
and the girl was practically a slave!
But what no one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with her
and gave her certain powers.}
Jareth sat silently balanced on the old limb of the oak which stood guard outside Sarah's room. He had watched her from here many nights, nights when the yearning within him could not be subdued by watching a pale reflection in a crystal. Nights when he almost hurt with longing for a girl who controlled him with dreams and bled his heart daily.
Tonight was worse.
Tonight all those longing nights pushed together as one ache in his heart, and ache made all the more bitter by hope. He had thought when he first felt that silent tug, that call in the night, that it was finally over. He had hoped that at last Sarah had found that part within her that knew. That part that whispered, cried that they were tied beyond love or lust or destiny. He had become well aquatinted with that whisper, that heart wrenching need. . .
But there were rules that bound even a Goblin King.
["Say your right words," the goblins said, "and you will be free."]
Sarah brushed the tears from her skin and pushed away from the bed, scrambling to the corner where she had banished her drawing. Something told her that if that picture was still there, then so was Jareth. It was a mad, unreasonable conclusion, but her heart whispered that the picture was proof. This was proof to banish nightmares and force the ache from her chest.
She held her breath as she flipped to the drawing in her portfolio, the moonlight poring from her window shifting to reveal the dark marks of her pencil.
Smeared.
What had once been a beautiful rendition of the proud and calculating Goblin King was now a dark mass of smeared pencil marks, the sure sign of an artist with a heavy hand. It was unrecognizable, all except for the eyes, those sad, lovely eyes.
Her hand hovered above those eyes that had seemed so mocking only this afternoon. Now they reflected that same pain she had glimpsed when she had said those words.
Those damn words.
[. . .You have no power over me. . .]
It was her fault. All of it. Hadn't she been the one to wish Toby away? Like a child she'd blamed him all these years, pushing him away from the realm of her heart with that silent reminder.
Tormentor. . .monster. . .Goblin King. . .
[What have you done that's generous?]
She'd kept him in the shadows of her memory, branded him a villain and ignored everything else. Ignored the memory of his face as she turned from him in the ballroom. She'd ignored every revealing look, every silent hint that there was something missing within the picture. She'd pushed aside the anger, the dark cry in his voice. She hadn't even tried to understand because that wasn't how it was done.
The fairy-tale princess didn't fall in love with the evil goblin king.
She hadn't looked beyond that. It was too simple to play out the part, just like acting out a scene from a play. It had been too easy to reduce him to the role of tyrant and ignore the rest. A sob ripped from her body and she clutched the picture to her, tears falling on the thick paper of her art book.
He'd even helped her keep the illusion, let her play her part.
[Everything!
Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken.
I took him
You cowered before me.
I was frightening.
I have reordered time.
I have turned the world upside-down and I have done it all for you!
I am exhaused from living up to your expectations of me
Isn't that generous?]
Her sobs quieted again after a time and she sat unmoving in the corner, the sketchbook cradled to her tightly. A strange, empty sort of calm washed over her as her tears dried, leaving salty trails on her cheeks. Tired and emotionally drained, one clear thought came through to the for front of her mind.
She'd failed.
She'd fallen in love with the Goblin King.
Sarah glanced down at the sketch again, to see those sad eyes watching her. She loved Jareth. She'd fallen in love with one of the most spoiled, aggravating men in existence. She smiled briefly, a slimmer of humor brushing to the surface at that thought. Wouldn't Karen be _delighted_ with that. Then again Dad would be down right livid that she'd fallen in love with a man who wore tights. Toby. . .Toby would be happy because she'd fallen in love with a man who would give her the world and more if she asked.
The question was, could she still ask?
["Say your right words," the goblins said, "and you will be free."]
"I wish. . ."
* * *
Jareth forced at least the guise of outer calm. His eyes, as always, gave away the truth. The Goblin King, the master of cold indifference and boredom, was half mad with worry and hope. Sarah knew the power of a wish by now, knew that once spoken from the heart, it couldn't be taken back. If she made the wish now then he wouldn't let her take it back damn it. She'd be his, body, heart and soul forever. A fierce surge of possessiveness raced through his veins at that thought and he closed his eyes again the site of her. If she didn't say the words. . .
The wind picked up as the world around him readied for a storm, the wind howling low through the trees.
"Say it Sarah." Firey mismatched eyes opened to reveal a mailstrom of emotions. "Say the words."
[Just fear me-
Love me-
Do as I say-
and I will be your slave]
Sarah's hands tightened on the sketchbook until her knuckles turned white. So much to loose if she said it. . .But god how much more she could gain. . .
"I wish. . ."
She stood, closing her eyes as her whole heart opened to the wish, putting everything she had into this one desire.
"I wish Jareth was here. . ."
Thunder crashed as the wind beat against the windows of her room. Please god, please let it work. I'll give anything, do anything, just let it work.
". . .right now!"
* * *
Hoggle smiled in a way that looked almost pleasant and gentle on his worn face. The goblins huddled around him gurgled and made sounds of appreciation as they watched Sarah speak the words through the quick silver puddle. He was glad he'd followed his instincts and come to the palace. That was the thing about the Labyrinth, you could feel it in your bones when something magical was happening. The crystal pool in the Goblin King's thrown room had drawn the creatures of the Labyrinth like bees to honey.
He frowned fiercly at a group of goblins shoving at his right, everyone wanted to see what would happen next, now that the girl who ate the peach had finally called to the Goblin King who liked to watch her.
Everyone watched, most afraid to move or even breath as the scene unfolded. Ludo audibly sucked in and then held his breath as the Goblin King appeared sprawled across the bed of Sarah's room. He looked casual enough, but those who knew him well, or at least the ones who paid attention, could tell he was anything but calm.
"You should really try not to cry Sarah. It makes you turn rather puffy and red. You look as if you'd gotten your first smell of the Bog."
Various sounds of disaproval echoed throughout the thrown room as the group observing heard the Goblin King's comment.
"I say that wasn't quiet what I had expected his Majesty to say right then. Do you think she could say the words again and he could have another go?" Sir Didymus asked worriedly as Sarah's eyes snapped open with a flash of anger evident.
"Jareth bad." Ludo agreed, peering into the pool.
Hoggle wasn't that worried. Jareth didn't handle vulnerablity very well. In fact Jareth didn't handle most emotions well. Sarah had just admitted her own feelings by calling him, but it was now time for the Goblin King to echo his own. If that were all they had to hang their hats on it would end up being a very long night.
Luckily, Sarah didn't look all that angry once she finally turned and saw Jareth lying there. That meant she was happy to see him. Which meant Jareth had a chance of coming to his senses before his ego ruined everything.
Hopefully that is.
Sarah carelessly tossed the sketchbook back into the corner as she approached the bed, her expression hardening. The group around the pool waited with baited breath as she stopped in front of the casually sprawled Goblin King and put her hands on her hips, her chin up.
"You are the most aggravating, spoiled, contemptible man I have ever met." The group flinched, a groan rising up among them. Hoggle noticed Jareth didn't look to happy at the moment either.
"You steal babies, specifically my brother and you put me through hell in your Labyrinth."
Ludo groaned, covering his eyes as he rocked his giant body back and forth, almost dislodging several of the goblins perched on him.
"It doesn't look good men. I'm afraid I shall have to take matters into my own hands and-" Hoggle frowned and covered Didymus' mouth as Sarah continued, her expression softening.
"You also gave me the best friends I've ever had and made me appreciate having Toby. You showed me I could grow up without loosing my imagination and the magic. You. . ." Her voice broke as he rose from the bed to stand in front of her, his mismatched eyes looking down on her with an unreadable expression, her own filling with tears again.
"You. . . Jareth I love you." The words were barely past her lips before his own captured hers in their first kiss.
Hoggle smiled as the room went up in cheers. He was glad the little missy would be happy. He could have wished for someone _other_ than the Goblin King to take her heart, but he knew Jareth would treasure her above all things. With any hope she'd have a good effect on him.
She might even get him to remove the Bog.
Authors Note: Bah, I have the icky feeling that I could have done better, so you may see a revision of this at a later date. Well I'm hoping to get back to my writing by next weekend. This weekend I made time for catch up on this and other fics where I had promised readers chapters. Next weekend you guys will get to see something new. Until then!
