"Where am I? What do you want from me?" Sara demanded.
"You are in the dungeon of my uncle's kingdom. You will give up all claim to his kingdom or you will waste away in this tower." She ran toward the window only to discover that her ankles were chained to the wall. "You can not escape me, dear cousin. I will get what I have been waiting for since your mother disappeared. One way or the other."
"When Jareth finds me, . . ."
"He won't. I have enough spells around here to hide us from all prying eyes. For a very long time." Sara slunk back to the wall and curled up in a ball on the floor. "If you will just sign an agreement to allow me to rule the kingdom, I will let you go. Of course, you could just marry me."
"Never!!"
Alamorn laughed. "Then you will stay here." He went to the door to leave. "Maybe forever."
And with that he left her alone in her cell. Sara started crying, wishing Jareth was there to hold her.
"Mother, has there been any luck in finding Sara yet?"
"I'm sorry, Dris. How's Jareth?"
"It's not good. He refuses to leave the window. He's been trying to see her in his crystals. He just flew off again to look for her."
"I hope we find her soon. I don't think the Underground will survive Jareth losing Sara again."
Dris wrapped her arms around her tearful mother and the two women held each other for several long moments.
Jareth's owl form soared high above the countryside, dropping low for closer looks at anywhere Sara might be.
He saw Tarmain's castle in front of him and decided to look there. He descended to the courtyard and transformed to his human form. "Maybe Alamorn has her here." His thoughts were begging this to be true. He didn't want to live without Sara.
"I'm sorry, your majesty. No one told us you were coming." The houseman was scurrying toward him
"I was just passing by and thought I'd stop and see if Alamorn was here."
"No, sir. He hasn't been here in a few weeks."
"Well, I need to talk to him. So if he comes back, will you please send a messenger to my castle? If I'm not there, they will know how to get a message to me."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Of course."
Jareth transformed back to his owl form and took off, still looking for Sara. Not realizing that if he had just flown up to the window he would have seen his love crying on the floor.
Weeks passed in much the same way. Everyone was searching for Sara and no one could find her. Sara was still curled up on the floor of the tower cell, wishing for Jareth.
One day, after her usual confrontation with Alamorn, Sara stood as far from the wall as she could manage. She had been thinking about trying something for the past several weeks. Now was the time. Alamorn was planning on killing her soon to get what he wanted.
He had been feeding her three meals a day but she wasn't eating as much as she should have been. She had to try though. If it worked, she could at least get out of the castle. From there she could find her way back through the Labyrinth to Jareth's castle. He would find her there.
"I wish to take the form of an eagle to fly far from here." She felt a shudder go through her and, suddenly, she felt a lot shorter than normal. She spread her arms which now felt and looked a lot like wings, and flapped them several times. Sara felt herself rising into the air and took a few sample laps around the cell.
As soon as she felt confident enough in her ability to fly, Sara allowed herself to glide out the window and away. She knew that she wouldn't be able to maintain the form for long because she was weak. She had to get as far as she could as fast as possible. The closer to the castle she was when she lost the form, the greater the chance that she would be caught.
Jareth was flying again when he saw an eagle heading away from the tower of Tarmain's castle. It wasn't flying well and he decided to follow it and see what was wrong.
He watched as the eagle flew erratically away from the tower and almost toward the Labyrinth. Suddenly, it almost nose-dived into the woods just outside the castle's property.
Jareth landed smoothly, transforming into human form. He looked around and felt his heart leap into his throat. Sara lay not far away, trying to pick herself up. He ran to her and pulled her into his arms. She started fighting him. "Sara! Sara, it's all right. It's me. It's Jareth. Sara!"
She looked up at him with a face that broke his heart. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles from lack of sleep. Her cheekbones stood out because she hadn't been eating. She was very weak. "Jareth?"
"Yes, love. It's me. I'll take you home." He stood, pulling her up with him. The poor young woman could barely stand. "Lean on me, Sara. I will not let anything happen to you."
She gladly wrapped her arms around the Goblin King's waist and placed her head against his chest. He transported them both to his parents' home where he put her right into bed.
Running into the kitchen, Jareth ordered some food to be made for the Lady Sara. He wanted to feed her, hold her, comfort her all at the same time.
"Jareth, where are you going with that food?"
"Sara needs to eat, Mother. I found her."
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs in bed. She's very weak. I need to take her some food."
Caronara followed her son upstairs to where Sara lay on a bed with covers up to her chin. "Oh my dear child! It's so good that Jareth found you!"
"I'm very glad he did too, my lady. I was beginning to fear for my life. I think Alamorn was about to kill me because I wouldn't give in to what he wanted. He --- he said that ---" Sara's voice broke and she started crying.
"Nothing to fear now, darling. I will protect you. He can't hurt you anymore." Jareth lifted a spoonful of broth to her mouth. "Try to eat a little something. You need to regain your strength."
"Jareth, before I do eat, how far did I get from the tower before I lost form?"
"What do you mean?"
"I was an eagle and I knew that although I couldn't fly well, I had to get away somehow. So I wished to take the form of an eagle to fly away from the tower."
"That was you?"
"Yes. How far did I get?"
"Just far enough for me to watch you crash into the woods beyond Tarmain's castle. That's when I approached you and brought you here." He put the spoon of broth to her lips and made her drink it before he allowed her another word. "We have been so worried about you."
"I have to go tell Dristeria and Rolardin. Ordinal will be glad to hear that she's safe as well."
Once his mother had left the room, Jareth leaned over and kissed Sara on the forehead. He was happiest of all. His Sara was back with him where she belonged.
"You are in the dungeon of my uncle's kingdom. You will give up all claim to his kingdom or you will waste away in this tower." She ran toward the window only to discover that her ankles were chained to the wall. "You can not escape me, dear cousin. I will get what I have been waiting for since your mother disappeared. One way or the other."
"When Jareth finds me, . . ."
"He won't. I have enough spells around here to hide us from all prying eyes. For a very long time." Sara slunk back to the wall and curled up in a ball on the floor. "If you will just sign an agreement to allow me to rule the kingdom, I will let you go. Of course, you could just marry me."
"Never!!"
Alamorn laughed. "Then you will stay here." He went to the door to leave. "Maybe forever."
And with that he left her alone in her cell. Sara started crying, wishing Jareth was there to hold her.
"Mother, has there been any luck in finding Sara yet?"
"I'm sorry, Dris. How's Jareth?"
"It's not good. He refuses to leave the window. He's been trying to see her in his crystals. He just flew off again to look for her."
"I hope we find her soon. I don't think the Underground will survive Jareth losing Sara again."
Dris wrapped her arms around her tearful mother and the two women held each other for several long moments.
Jareth's owl form soared high above the countryside, dropping low for closer looks at anywhere Sara might be.
He saw Tarmain's castle in front of him and decided to look there. He descended to the courtyard and transformed to his human form. "Maybe Alamorn has her here." His thoughts were begging this to be true. He didn't want to live without Sara.
"I'm sorry, your majesty. No one told us you were coming." The houseman was scurrying toward him
"I was just passing by and thought I'd stop and see if Alamorn was here."
"No, sir. He hasn't been here in a few weeks."
"Well, I need to talk to him. So if he comes back, will you please send a messenger to my castle? If I'm not there, they will know how to get a message to me."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Of course."
Jareth transformed back to his owl form and took off, still looking for Sara. Not realizing that if he had just flown up to the window he would have seen his love crying on the floor.
Weeks passed in much the same way. Everyone was searching for Sara and no one could find her. Sara was still curled up on the floor of the tower cell, wishing for Jareth.
One day, after her usual confrontation with Alamorn, Sara stood as far from the wall as she could manage. She had been thinking about trying something for the past several weeks. Now was the time. Alamorn was planning on killing her soon to get what he wanted.
He had been feeding her three meals a day but she wasn't eating as much as she should have been. She had to try though. If it worked, she could at least get out of the castle. From there she could find her way back through the Labyrinth to Jareth's castle. He would find her there.
"I wish to take the form of an eagle to fly far from here." She felt a shudder go through her and, suddenly, she felt a lot shorter than normal. She spread her arms which now felt and looked a lot like wings, and flapped them several times. Sara felt herself rising into the air and took a few sample laps around the cell.
As soon as she felt confident enough in her ability to fly, Sara allowed herself to glide out the window and away. She knew that she wouldn't be able to maintain the form for long because she was weak. She had to get as far as she could as fast as possible. The closer to the castle she was when she lost the form, the greater the chance that she would be caught.
Jareth was flying again when he saw an eagle heading away from the tower of Tarmain's castle. It wasn't flying well and he decided to follow it and see what was wrong.
He watched as the eagle flew erratically away from the tower and almost toward the Labyrinth. Suddenly, it almost nose-dived into the woods just outside the castle's property.
Jareth landed smoothly, transforming into human form. He looked around and felt his heart leap into his throat. Sara lay not far away, trying to pick herself up. He ran to her and pulled her into his arms. She started fighting him. "Sara! Sara, it's all right. It's me. It's Jareth. Sara!"
She looked up at him with a face that broke his heart. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles from lack of sleep. Her cheekbones stood out because she hadn't been eating. She was very weak. "Jareth?"
"Yes, love. It's me. I'll take you home." He stood, pulling her up with him. The poor young woman could barely stand. "Lean on me, Sara. I will not let anything happen to you."
She gladly wrapped her arms around the Goblin King's waist and placed her head against his chest. He transported them both to his parents' home where he put her right into bed.
Running into the kitchen, Jareth ordered some food to be made for the Lady Sara. He wanted to feed her, hold her, comfort her all at the same time.
"Jareth, where are you going with that food?"
"Sara needs to eat, Mother. I found her."
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs in bed. She's very weak. I need to take her some food."
Caronara followed her son upstairs to where Sara lay on a bed with covers up to her chin. "Oh my dear child! It's so good that Jareth found you!"
"I'm very glad he did too, my lady. I was beginning to fear for my life. I think Alamorn was about to kill me because I wouldn't give in to what he wanted. He --- he said that ---" Sara's voice broke and she started crying.
"Nothing to fear now, darling. I will protect you. He can't hurt you anymore." Jareth lifted a spoonful of broth to her mouth. "Try to eat a little something. You need to regain your strength."
"Jareth, before I do eat, how far did I get from the tower before I lost form?"
"What do you mean?"
"I was an eagle and I knew that although I couldn't fly well, I had to get away somehow. So I wished to take the form of an eagle to fly away from the tower."
"That was you?"
"Yes. How far did I get?"
"Just far enough for me to watch you crash into the woods beyond Tarmain's castle. That's when I approached you and brought you here." He put the spoon of broth to her lips and made her drink it before he allowed her another word. "We have been so worried about you."
"I have to go tell Dristeria and Rolardin. Ordinal will be glad to hear that she's safe as well."
Once his mother had left the room, Jareth leaned over and kissed Sara on the forehead. He was happiest of all. His Sara was back with him where she belonged.