CHAPTER X
Sarah opened her eyes, looked into the mirror, and saw that Jareth was no longer there. His stage appearance having been made, he had, so to speak, receded into the shadows of the curtains. Despite his absence, she felt as if she was still in store for something else. She pulled her hair behind her ear as she gently prodded the sore spot on her arm where his iron grip had once resided.
She looked back into the mirror, barely recognizing the face that was her own. Has he taken my memories for good?' she thought despondently.
She closed her eyes and rubbed at them wearily. When she opened them, her room was no longer reflected in the mirror. Instead, the Goblin King's throne room was displayed, grey and dismal... and magnificent. He was not there, but she saw flickers of shadows that served as adequate replacements for his mysterious figure. The air grew colder and darker, so she drew her arms about her as she turned toward her bed.
She did not make it there. The room began to plummet into an abyss of colors, swirling and swaying about her. Reality no longer resided in her world; she felt the floor dissolve beneath her to leave her floating in a colorful tapestry of light. All of this happened in a split second...the other half of the second, the colors dissipated into greys and flaming oranges.
She blinked at the completion of her turn. The dizziness brought on by her journey caused her to fall to her knees; her half-clothed legs responded with messages of coolness and pain. When her vision cleared, she saw that she was sitting on a stone tile floor. She looked up from her reddened palms to see the throne room of the Goblin King, illuminated on all sides by brilliant orange candles that glowed from green glass candelabras on the walls.
Still, the room was empty of any life other than that of the flickering candles, and its vastness made her feel small and alone. The thought of adventure taunted her as it permeated her spirit, its origin, she was sure, being the limelight of the greenish candlelight that surrounded her. Yet sensibility told her that she was in danger, in her life as well as her being, for she had never felt so out of control as she did now.
And, as if to give this thought its proper emphasis, Jareth stepped into the room from the shadows of the balcony to the left of his throne and stood before the massive bone chair.
Sarah stopped herself from nearly stepping into the circular indentation at the center of the room that served as a pool for exotic fish. The fish were a new touch...as were the covered painting and oval mirror that sat side-by-side on the wall to her right. Sarah looked at the clock beside Jareth's throne.....there were twelve hours on it now, instead of the thriteen he had created when she had first gone through the Labyrinth. According to the clock, it was now the hour of eight.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Jareth asked after having given her adequate time for examination.
"I don't want anything from you," she said with calm disgust, continuing to examine her surroundings. "Last time you gave me something to eat, I started to hallucinate."
"I see Hogwart told you of my less than innocent actions."
"His name is Hoggle."
"Oh, Hoggle," he replied with indifference. "Still harping on the past? I've always said, 'Let bygones be bygones.'" He paused and then added, almost as an afterthought, "You ought to eat. You have a long trip ahead of you."
"A trip!" Sarah jerked her head about to face him, discontinuing her gaze about the chamber. "To where?"
"Just my little favor, that's all," he replied as he settled back into his white, ivory throne.
"I'm not going to grant you any favors," Sarah replied with moderate calmness in her voice, but fire in her eyes. She did not feel calm, but she was not going to let on to it. Besides, though she did not wish to admit it, she was afraid to speak with anger toward him. She wasn't quite sure of what he would do.
"You will if your friends are at stake," he said. The moonlight sifted through the green glass at his right and made his pale complexion more qhostly than it had once been.
"Remember this?" he asked as he swept out his left hand toward the staircase, causing Ludo to slowly appear in front of it. The beast looked up at her forlornly.
"Need Sarah help," he pleaded in a downcast voice.
Sarah's eyes widened, though her sober expression did not leave. "Ludo!!" she exclaimed with surprise. She ran to grab him, but, once she reached the spot, he had disappeared.
"What have you done to them?!!" she screamed in a sudden loss of control.
Jareth's eyes widened at her response as he leaned back in the chair. He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully before finally answering. "Nothing...yet." He let his statement sink in. "Of course, if you don't help me..." he leaned forward, "I will be forced to do something drastic. Perhaps toss them from a balcony..." he began to think it over and finally continued, "No, no, that wouldn't be good enough." He put a finger to his lips and tapped the arm of his throne with the other hand. "I know!" he eventually declared with a start. "I could turn them all into metal charms to go on your necklace. Then you would be forever reminded of how you failed to rescue them." He seemed pleased with his cleverness and became comfortable once again.
Sarah finally let her worry show. She stayed silent a few moments. He had been correct in his analyzation of her. Her greatest weakness was her friends. She had many other small weaknesses, but even she knew that the safety of her friends and family was the major one. All of the anger in the world would not make her turn back on her friends. Even if it meant facing Jareth for thirteen weeks instead of thirteen hours.
She thought about his declaration and wondered if he was telling the truth. Should she call his bluff? But what if her friends were really at stake? She decided she couldn't risk it.
After a few moments she sighed and lowered her head. "What do I have to do?"
He got up from his seat and approached her. The echoing click-clack of his boots was the only sound to fill the hall. As he held out his hand to her, he replied, "First you will come to dinner with me."
She began to protest but was cut short when he put his finger to her lips as an indication of silence. "Don't forget about your friends," he reminded her with a straight face and lowering of his head.
She swallowed and forced herself to place her hand in his. He squeezed her hand tightly and brought it to his lips to kiss it ceremonially. She shuddered at the thought of him touching her at all. She knew his squeeze on her hand was a warning. He was putting far more pressure than needed to hold her hand. What did he think he was? A prince? The prince of arrogance!
He dropped her hand slowly and eased backward toward his throne, watching her constantly, a smile widening on his lips momentarily before disappearing as he sat.
"Guards!!" he screamed.
Sarah watched as three squat and ugly guards come into the room, stumbling over each other.
"Take Sarah to her quarters. And make sure she doesn't escape," he ordered them before nodding them off.
Two grabbed her, one to each arm, and the other flanked her from the rear while prodding her in the back with a crude spear. Together they pushed her toward the door next to Jareth's throne.
"And Sarah.."
She hesitantly turned her head to face him. A cold breeze swept to her from the balcony window and made her shudder. She wondered satirically if it had truly originated from the body of Jareth himself.
"Last time I made the game easy. But this time you won't be so lucky."
With that, the guards pushed her through the doorway and into the corridor.
Sarah opened her eyes, looked into the mirror, and saw that Jareth was no longer there. His stage appearance having been made, he had, so to speak, receded into the shadows of the curtains. Despite his absence, she felt as if she was still in store for something else. She pulled her hair behind her ear as she gently prodded the sore spot on her arm where his iron grip had once resided.
She looked back into the mirror, barely recognizing the face that was her own. Has he taken my memories for good?' she thought despondently.
She closed her eyes and rubbed at them wearily. When she opened them, her room was no longer reflected in the mirror. Instead, the Goblin King's throne room was displayed, grey and dismal... and magnificent. He was not there, but she saw flickers of shadows that served as adequate replacements for his mysterious figure. The air grew colder and darker, so she drew her arms about her as she turned toward her bed.
She did not make it there. The room began to plummet into an abyss of colors, swirling and swaying about her. Reality no longer resided in her world; she felt the floor dissolve beneath her to leave her floating in a colorful tapestry of light. All of this happened in a split second...the other half of the second, the colors dissipated into greys and flaming oranges.
She blinked at the completion of her turn. The dizziness brought on by her journey caused her to fall to her knees; her half-clothed legs responded with messages of coolness and pain. When her vision cleared, she saw that she was sitting on a stone tile floor. She looked up from her reddened palms to see the throne room of the Goblin King, illuminated on all sides by brilliant orange candles that glowed from green glass candelabras on the walls.
Still, the room was empty of any life other than that of the flickering candles, and its vastness made her feel small and alone. The thought of adventure taunted her as it permeated her spirit, its origin, she was sure, being the limelight of the greenish candlelight that surrounded her. Yet sensibility told her that she was in danger, in her life as well as her being, for she had never felt so out of control as she did now.
And, as if to give this thought its proper emphasis, Jareth stepped into the room from the shadows of the balcony to the left of his throne and stood before the massive bone chair.
Sarah stopped herself from nearly stepping into the circular indentation at the center of the room that served as a pool for exotic fish. The fish were a new touch...as were the covered painting and oval mirror that sat side-by-side on the wall to her right. Sarah looked at the clock beside Jareth's throne.....there were twelve hours on it now, instead of the thriteen he had created when she had first gone through the Labyrinth. According to the clock, it was now the hour of eight.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Jareth asked after having given her adequate time for examination.
"I don't want anything from you," she said with calm disgust, continuing to examine her surroundings. "Last time you gave me something to eat, I started to hallucinate."
"I see Hogwart told you of my less than innocent actions."
"His name is Hoggle."
"Oh, Hoggle," he replied with indifference. "Still harping on the past? I've always said, 'Let bygones be bygones.'" He paused and then added, almost as an afterthought, "You ought to eat. You have a long trip ahead of you."
"A trip!" Sarah jerked her head about to face him, discontinuing her gaze about the chamber. "To where?"
"Just my little favor, that's all," he replied as he settled back into his white, ivory throne.
"I'm not going to grant you any favors," Sarah replied with moderate calmness in her voice, but fire in her eyes. She did not feel calm, but she was not going to let on to it. Besides, though she did not wish to admit it, she was afraid to speak with anger toward him. She wasn't quite sure of what he would do.
"You will if your friends are at stake," he said. The moonlight sifted through the green glass at his right and made his pale complexion more qhostly than it had once been.
"Remember this?" he asked as he swept out his left hand toward the staircase, causing Ludo to slowly appear in front of it. The beast looked up at her forlornly.
"Need Sarah help," he pleaded in a downcast voice.
Sarah's eyes widened, though her sober expression did not leave. "Ludo!!" she exclaimed with surprise. She ran to grab him, but, once she reached the spot, he had disappeared.
"What have you done to them?!!" she screamed in a sudden loss of control.
Jareth's eyes widened at her response as he leaned back in the chair. He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully before finally answering. "Nothing...yet." He let his statement sink in. "Of course, if you don't help me..." he leaned forward, "I will be forced to do something drastic. Perhaps toss them from a balcony..." he began to think it over and finally continued, "No, no, that wouldn't be good enough." He put a finger to his lips and tapped the arm of his throne with the other hand. "I know!" he eventually declared with a start. "I could turn them all into metal charms to go on your necklace. Then you would be forever reminded of how you failed to rescue them." He seemed pleased with his cleverness and became comfortable once again.
Sarah finally let her worry show. She stayed silent a few moments. He had been correct in his analyzation of her. Her greatest weakness was her friends. She had many other small weaknesses, but even she knew that the safety of her friends and family was the major one. All of the anger in the world would not make her turn back on her friends. Even if it meant facing Jareth for thirteen weeks instead of thirteen hours.
She thought about his declaration and wondered if he was telling the truth. Should she call his bluff? But what if her friends were really at stake? She decided she couldn't risk it.
After a few moments she sighed and lowered her head. "What do I have to do?"
He got up from his seat and approached her. The echoing click-clack of his boots was the only sound to fill the hall. As he held out his hand to her, he replied, "First you will come to dinner with me."
She began to protest but was cut short when he put his finger to her lips as an indication of silence. "Don't forget about your friends," he reminded her with a straight face and lowering of his head.
She swallowed and forced herself to place her hand in his. He squeezed her hand tightly and brought it to his lips to kiss it ceremonially. She shuddered at the thought of him touching her at all. She knew his squeeze on her hand was a warning. He was putting far more pressure than needed to hold her hand. What did he think he was? A prince? The prince of arrogance!
He dropped her hand slowly and eased backward toward his throne, watching her constantly, a smile widening on his lips momentarily before disappearing as he sat.
"Guards!!" he screamed.
Sarah watched as three squat and ugly guards come into the room, stumbling over each other.
"Take Sarah to her quarters. And make sure she doesn't escape," he ordered them before nodding them off.
Two grabbed her, one to each arm, and the other flanked her from the rear while prodding her in the back with a crude spear. Together they pushed her toward the door next to Jareth's throne.
"And Sarah.."
She hesitantly turned her head to face him. A cold breeze swept to her from the balcony window and made her shudder. She wondered satirically if it had truly originated from the body of Jareth himself.
"Last time I made the game easy. But this time you won't be so lucky."
With that, the guards pushed her through the doorway and into the corridor.