Chapter 9/10
Jareth's Power
The two of them went through the small door. The giant room was a maze of passages and
stairways. The floor was a swirled pattern that made Sarah dizzy. The walls were made of a
slick marble and the ceiling was stone with murals painted on it. Sarah studied the pictures
and realized that they were the illustrations Eric had drawn for her story. It started with
Sarah in the park pretending that she was the heroine of the Labyrinth.
They followed the pictures to know which way to turn in the maze. "A labyrinth inside of
a labyrinth," Eric grumbled, "Jareth really is twisted, isn't he."
The maze ended at the picture of Jareth offering Sarah her dreams in the form of a
crystal and her refusing him. Before turning the corner to exit the maze, Eric held her back so
they could listen to the conversation going on. Jareth was on the other side of the wall talking
with Toby.
"I'm surprised Sarah turned you down, she always wanted to be a queen," Toby said.
Jareth's voice was cool and charming. "I think that she'll change her mind. So, my
fine friend, what do think of my offer?"
"Can you really give me magic powers?" Toby asked in awe.
"Yes, and you'll be my second in command. We'll begin just as soon as Sarah gets here."
"She's already here," Sarah said as she came around the corner to face Jareth. He was
sitting with Tody, teaching him how to toss a crystal back and forth over his hands. He looked
the same as always. Stringy, platinum blond hair that hung down in a messy fashion. His eyes
were still penatrating and seemed to focus only on Sarah. She didn't allow herself to cower
as he loomed over her. Eric was next to her, glaring at Jareth.
"Hello, Jareth," he snarled, "I see that you had no trouble finding my replacement."
Jareth pretended like Eric wasn't there. He stood up. "Sarah," he said, "Well, look at
you. Quite the adult aren't you."
"We've come for my brother," she said without a waver in her voice.
"I'm afraid you are too late," Jareth told her, "Your brother wants to stay here. And
no verses you recite will change that."
The young woman stared at the little boy and held out her hand to him. "Come on, Toby.
It's time to go home."
The child shyed away a little.
Sarah balled up her fist at her side. Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes
became hard, full of hate. She pulled back her arm and punched Jareth in the face.
Jareth was stunned. "You hit me!" he said in amazement.
"Should have done that eleven years ago," Sarah told him with ice in her tone. Stepping
past the Goblin King, she went to her brother and took him by the hand. "Come on Toby." She
turned to walk away, but Jareth stopped her.
"Sarah, wait!" He offered his empty hand which she only stared at. "I know your
dreams. I know what you want. You can stay here with me, see your friends more and be a queen.
You'll never have to be bothered by school, ex-boyfriends, annoying director...young men who
you don't think share your feelings."
Eric walked protectively in front of Sarah and shouted, "Stop it, Jareth! She doesn't
want any of that!"
"No," Sarah spoke up, "I do want all of that. I can't pretend that a life without the
outside world doesn't have it's appeal. But there is one thing you have wrong, Jareth. I don't
want you!"
Jareth was taken aback by this outburst. He had never thought that he would hear her
say that. He never thought he would ever hear anyone say that.
Feeling empowered, Sarah went on. "You or your goblin kingdom! All I want is to go
home with Eric and Toby."
"That would prove difficult since Eric is still in my debt and Toby is to be my heir,"
Jareth pointed out, smiling at the fact that he now had the upper hand.
Sarah's face fell. She glanced down at Toby's confused young face. Then she looked at
Eric. He was so determined to protect her and Toby that he had seemed to have forgotten that
he was there to try and defeat Jareth. Then, it hit her. Eric didn't know how to defeat
the Goblin King.
Sarah's eyes went to the floor like she was trying to remember something. Her head came
up and glower at Jareth. She released Toby's hand and stepped forward. "You win. I'll stay
here with you only if you let the two of them go."
"This is not the time to be a martyr, Sarah," Eric hissed as he grabbed her arm to pull
her away from the Goblin King's grasp.
"Eric, I'm not trying to be. I just want this all to end and Toby to be home, safe in
his own bed. And I want you to have a life again." She gently took his hand from her arm
and stood on her toes so she could give him a kiss on the cheek. Afterwards, she gave her
brother a tight hug, then stepped away from the two.
Jareth still held out an empty palm. A crystal appeared there and Sarah accepted it
this time, tears forming in her eyes. She glanced behind her and saw that Eric and Toby were
gone. The room suddenly felt cold and empty. Her gaze remained on the crystal.
"What dream would you like me to bring to life first?" Jareth asked, not sure of what
kind of an response he would receive. He crossed his arms over his chest.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she took a deep breath. The crystal reflected in her
deep brown eyes as she remembered a time when Jareth had offered her this same thing once
before. She saw all of the options open to her and every dream that had once seemed so
important. Now, only one came to mind, one that she had managed to keep to herself for
eleven years.
"My first dream..." she began to speak with a steady, but quiet voice. With each
word her tone grew a little stronger and louder. "My first dream is for you, your majesty."
She lifted her eyes to look straight into his. "In this dream, you don't exist."
With that, she smashed the crystal ball on the floor. Shards of glass flew up at
Jareth. He held up his arms and transformed into an owl, only it was too late. His form began
to change. The feathers fell off and wings grew into long skinny arms. His face went from
a white owl's face, to his human face. His expression was one of terror and astonishment.
Then the human face changed, until he looked like any other goblin. He now had a long hook
nose and was shorter then Toby had been when he was kidnapped as a baby. Sarah watched in
disbelief as Jareth kept shrinking until he was nothing but a bad dream.
Jareth's Power
The two of them went through the small door. The giant room was a maze of passages and
stairways. The floor was a swirled pattern that made Sarah dizzy. The walls were made of a
slick marble and the ceiling was stone with murals painted on it. Sarah studied the pictures
and realized that they were the illustrations Eric had drawn for her story. It started with
Sarah in the park pretending that she was the heroine of the Labyrinth.
They followed the pictures to know which way to turn in the maze. "A labyrinth inside of
a labyrinth," Eric grumbled, "Jareth really is twisted, isn't he."
The maze ended at the picture of Jareth offering Sarah her dreams in the form of a
crystal and her refusing him. Before turning the corner to exit the maze, Eric held her back so
they could listen to the conversation going on. Jareth was on the other side of the wall talking
with Toby.
"I'm surprised Sarah turned you down, she always wanted to be a queen," Toby said.
Jareth's voice was cool and charming. "I think that she'll change her mind. So, my
fine friend, what do think of my offer?"
"Can you really give me magic powers?" Toby asked in awe.
"Yes, and you'll be my second in command. We'll begin just as soon as Sarah gets here."
"She's already here," Sarah said as she came around the corner to face Jareth. He was
sitting with Tody, teaching him how to toss a crystal back and forth over his hands. He looked
the same as always. Stringy, platinum blond hair that hung down in a messy fashion. His eyes
were still penatrating and seemed to focus only on Sarah. She didn't allow herself to cower
as he loomed over her. Eric was next to her, glaring at Jareth.
"Hello, Jareth," he snarled, "I see that you had no trouble finding my replacement."
Jareth pretended like Eric wasn't there. He stood up. "Sarah," he said, "Well, look at
you. Quite the adult aren't you."
"We've come for my brother," she said without a waver in her voice.
"I'm afraid you are too late," Jareth told her, "Your brother wants to stay here. And
no verses you recite will change that."
The young woman stared at the little boy and held out her hand to him. "Come on, Toby.
It's time to go home."
The child shyed away a little.
Sarah balled up her fist at her side. Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes
became hard, full of hate. She pulled back her arm and punched Jareth in the face.
Jareth was stunned. "You hit me!" he said in amazement.
"Should have done that eleven years ago," Sarah told him with ice in her tone. Stepping
past the Goblin King, she went to her brother and took him by the hand. "Come on Toby." She
turned to walk away, but Jareth stopped her.
"Sarah, wait!" He offered his empty hand which she only stared at. "I know your
dreams. I know what you want. You can stay here with me, see your friends more and be a queen.
You'll never have to be bothered by school, ex-boyfriends, annoying director...young men who
you don't think share your feelings."
Eric walked protectively in front of Sarah and shouted, "Stop it, Jareth! She doesn't
want any of that!"
"No," Sarah spoke up, "I do want all of that. I can't pretend that a life without the
outside world doesn't have it's appeal. But there is one thing you have wrong, Jareth. I don't
want you!"
Jareth was taken aback by this outburst. He had never thought that he would hear her
say that. He never thought he would ever hear anyone say that.
Feeling empowered, Sarah went on. "You or your goblin kingdom! All I want is to go
home with Eric and Toby."
"That would prove difficult since Eric is still in my debt and Toby is to be my heir,"
Jareth pointed out, smiling at the fact that he now had the upper hand.
Sarah's face fell. She glanced down at Toby's confused young face. Then she looked at
Eric. He was so determined to protect her and Toby that he had seemed to have forgotten that
he was there to try and defeat Jareth. Then, it hit her. Eric didn't know how to defeat
the Goblin King.
Sarah's eyes went to the floor like she was trying to remember something. Her head came
up and glower at Jareth. She released Toby's hand and stepped forward. "You win. I'll stay
here with you only if you let the two of them go."
"This is not the time to be a martyr, Sarah," Eric hissed as he grabbed her arm to pull
her away from the Goblin King's grasp.
"Eric, I'm not trying to be. I just want this all to end and Toby to be home, safe in
his own bed. And I want you to have a life again." She gently took his hand from her arm
and stood on her toes so she could give him a kiss on the cheek. Afterwards, she gave her
brother a tight hug, then stepped away from the two.
Jareth still held out an empty palm. A crystal appeared there and Sarah accepted it
this time, tears forming in her eyes. She glanced behind her and saw that Eric and Toby were
gone. The room suddenly felt cold and empty. Her gaze remained on the crystal.
"What dream would you like me to bring to life first?" Jareth asked, not sure of what
kind of an response he would receive. He crossed his arms over his chest.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she took a deep breath. The crystal reflected in her
deep brown eyes as she remembered a time when Jareth had offered her this same thing once
before. She saw all of the options open to her and every dream that had once seemed so
important. Now, only one came to mind, one that she had managed to keep to herself for
eleven years.
"My first dream..." she began to speak with a steady, but quiet voice. With each
word her tone grew a little stronger and louder. "My first dream is for you, your majesty."
She lifted her eyes to look straight into his. "In this dream, you don't exist."
With that, she smashed the crystal ball on the floor. Shards of glass flew up at
Jareth. He held up his arms and transformed into an owl, only it was too late. His form began
to change. The feathers fell off and wings grew into long skinny arms. His face went from
a white owl's face, to his human face. His expression was one of terror and astonishment.
Then the human face changed, until he looked like any other goblin. He now had a long hook
nose and was shorter then Toby had been when he was kidnapped as a baby. Sarah watched in
disbelief as Jareth kept shrinking until he was nothing but a bad dream.
