Jareth just sat there for a moment. He had always known that Sara had loved him. Just as he had known that one day she would be with him. Be his.
He remembered the first time he had heard her performing the lines from the book. He had loved her even then. She had been only twelve. She had looked so much like her mother that Jareth had thought that maybe she was her mother. Until he had seen inside her room. The articles Sara had clipped from newspapers and magazines about Linda had saddened him.
Lillian had told them that Linda had left her family behind, ostensibly to persue an acting career. Linda had been totally heartbroken to leave her beautiful daughter behind. She had intended to teach the child about the Underground. Teach her of the role she would play one day in it's exsitence. She was the one who had left the Labyrinth book for Sara. She knew that Sara would one day find her way to the Underground. Even if totally by accident. After all, Sara was her daughter and Linda had always been curious about the Above and that was what led her to be there. It only made sense that one day her daughter would find her way to the land where Linda had been born and had lived the first half of her life.
Jareth had been watching Sara since she had started reading the lines. When she started performing them, he was amazed at the amount of passion she put behind them. But when she said them for real, to get Toby back, the passion was real. It wasn't just an act that she had put on. She had tried to convince her senior year drama teacher to perform the story of the Labyrinth for the fall play but the teacher had been adamant about performing some little piece called "The Crucible". Jareth had understood the story behind the play but he would have dearly loved to see Sara perform her lines on stage.
Unbeknownest to Sara, Jareth had sat in the audience, watching her perform her part as Abigail in the play. He had loved to see her perform in every play and musical that she could. She had, at one time, dreamed of becoming an actress like her mother. She didn't realize then that that dream was impossible for her. That so much responsibility would be thrown upon her shoulders.
"Jareth? Jareth?"
"Yes, Sara?"
"Where did you go? You seemed very far away just then."
"Just thinking for a moment. Thinking of all the times I had seen you in the past. Knowing the whole time, just as your mother had I'm certain, that one day would see you here in the Underground. Living up to the role thrust on you by fate. Just as you lived up to the roles life up there thrust into your path. Thinking of how much I love you."
Sara was amazed. He seemed to know so well that, most of her life, she had been playing a part. The loving, loyal daughter to her father. The hurt, tormented daughter to her mother. The slavegirl to her stepmother. And of course, loyal, protective sister to Toby.
No one would ever know her as well as Jareth. She climbed off the chair and sat down next to him on the bed. "Thank you. For protecting me. For caring for me. For being my salvation when I needed it. For loving me."
He wrapped his arms around Sara pulled her in close to his chest. "I will always love you. You have also been my salvation. You saved me when I would have died otherwise." He smiled as she buried her head in his shoulder. "You are the only woman I want beside me for the rest of my life. Which will be considerably long."
Sara lifted her head. "But I'm still mortal."
Jareth's mother shook her head. "Child, with your Fae blood, even as little as there is, you can make yourself as long-lived as Jareth. It's in the magic. And your love for him strengthens your magic as his love for you strengthens his. It is that love that will make you live as long as he does. When time does run out for the two of you, you will die together in each other's arms. Just as my parents did." At the shocked look on Jareth's face, she continued. "You never knew that your mother was only half-Fae, did you Jareth? Why do you think it took you a little longer to learn the magic than it did for most Fae children? And, knowing that the Fae are amazingly graceful, what else would explain Dristeria's unnatural penchant for falling down?" Caronara chuckled at the insulted look her youngest daughter threw her way. "Dear daughter, as your mother, I reserve the right to tease you. I love you no matter whether you are graceful or not. You are my daughter and I wouldn't change that for anything at all." Seeing that Sara and Jareth were getting quite comfortable, Caronara and Dristeria left the room with the High King in tow.
"You won't ever let me go, Jareth?"
"Never, sweet Sara."
"I remember the first time I saw you. The night you took Toby. I was so in awe of you. I wanted so many things all at the same time. It was like going from a jungle at noon to night on the deepest desert. Hot to cold. And back several times."
"I remember the first time I saw you perform those lines. You were twelve. I sat on the post in the park as I did so many times since then and listened as you spoke with such passion and fire. Then, the night of our confrontation in the Escher room, I was not disappointed. You spoke the words from your heart. Not your head."
"You were watching me when I was twelve?"
"At first I thought you were your mother. Then, I saw all the articles you had cut out of the magazines and newspapers about her. I saw the pain and love in your eyes when you read them. All I wanted then was to bring you here and protect you. I knew, though, that I couldn't. I had to wait and be patient." He laughed. "And patience is definitely not one of my strong points."
Sara sat upright. "I couldn't tell, Your Majesty." The devilish glint in her eyes made him laugh as he proceeded to tickle her into fits of laughter.
Once Sara had begged Jareth to stop tickling her, she curled back up next to him, secure in the knowledge that he would protect her with his last breath if that was what it took.
Jareth held Sara close, secure in his knowledge that she was the very air he breathed and, without her, life would not be worth living at all.
The next morning, Dris entered Sara's room to find a note from Jareth. "Dear family, Sara and I have gone flying. She says she needs the practice. We shall return later. Jareth."
Dris just chuckled and wondered how long it would be before they returned, let alone how long they had been gone.
Flying high above the Underground, Sara and Jareth rode thermals and just enjoyed themselves. He gave her pointers on how to direct her flight telepathically and she continually amazed him with her pure astonishment at how beautiful the Underground was.
"The last time you were here, you didn't exactly have time to look around, Sara. Now, you can enjoy the beauty of the realms and explore the riches that exist here."
"I'm so glad we can do this. It's almost relaxing." She paused. "Jareth, I'm getting awfully hungry."
"Then, let's head back to the Court. We can eat there and then you can rest. I know that I usually prefer a nap after flying this long."
"That sounds marvelous." They turned and headed back toward Court.
He remembered the first time he had heard her performing the lines from the book. He had loved her even then. She had been only twelve. She had looked so much like her mother that Jareth had thought that maybe she was her mother. Until he had seen inside her room. The articles Sara had clipped from newspapers and magazines about Linda had saddened him.
Lillian had told them that Linda had left her family behind, ostensibly to persue an acting career. Linda had been totally heartbroken to leave her beautiful daughter behind. She had intended to teach the child about the Underground. Teach her of the role she would play one day in it's exsitence. She was the one who had left the Labyrinth book for Sara. She knew that Sara would one day find her way to the Underground. Even if totally by accident. After all, Sara was her daughter and Linda had always been curious about the Above and that was what led her to be there. It only made sense that one day her daughter would find her way to the land where Linda had been born and had lived the first half of her life.
Jareth had been watching Sara since she had started reading the lines. When she started performing them, he was amazed at the amount of passion she put behind them. But when she said them for real, to get Toby back, the passion was real. It wasn't just an act that she had put on. She had tried to convince her senior year drama teacher to perform the story of the Labyrinth for the fall play but the teacher had been adamant about performing some little piece called "The Crucible". Jareth had understood the story behind the play but he would have dearly loved to see Sara perform her lines on stage.
Unbeknownest to Sara, Jareth had sat in the audience, watching her perform her part as Abigail in the play. He had loved to see her perform in every play and musical that she could. She had, at one time, dreamed of becoming an actress like her mother. She didn't realize then that that dream was impossible for her. That so much responsibility would be thrown upon her shoulders.
"Jareth? Jareth?"
"Yes, Sara?"
"Where did you go? You seemed very far away just then."
"Just thinking for a moment. Thinking of all the times I had seen you in the past. Knowing the whole time, just as your mother had I'm certain, that one day would see you here in the Underground. Living up to the role thrust on you by fate. Just as you lived up to the roles life up there thrust into your path. Thinking of how much I love you."
Sara was amazed. He seemed to know so well that, most of her life, she had been playing a part. The loving, loyal daughter to her father. The hurt, tormented daughter to her mother. The slavegirl to her stepmother. And of course, loyal, protective sister to Toby.
No one would ever know her as well as Jareth. She climbed off the chair and sat down next to him on the bed. "Thank you. For protecting me. For caring for me. For being my salvation when I needed it. For loving me."
He wrapped his arms around Sara pulled her in close to his chest. "I will always love you. You have also been my salvation. You saved me when I would have died otherwise." He smiled as she buried her head in his shoulder. "You are the only woman I want beside me for the rest of my life. Which will be considerably long."
Sara lifted her head. "But I'm still mortal."
Jareth's mother shook her head. "Child, with your Fae blood, even as little as there is, you can make yourself as long-lived as Jareth. It's in the magic. And your love for him strengthens your magic as his love for you strengthens his. It is that love that will make you live as long as he does. When time does run out for the two of you, you will die together in each other's arms. Just as my parents did." At the shocked look on Jareth's face, she continued. "You never knew that your mother was only half-Fae, did you Jareth? Why do you think it took you a little longer to learn the magic than it did for most Fae children? And, knowing that the Fae are amazingly graceful, what else would explain Dristeria's unnatural penchant for falling down?" Caronara chuckled at the insulted look her youngest daughter threw her way. "Dear daughter, as your mother, I reserve the right to tease you. I love you no matter whether you are graceful or not. You are my daughter and I wouldn't change that for anything at all." Seeing that Sara and Jareth were getting quite comfortable, Caronara and Dristeria left the room with the High King in tow.
"You won't ever let me go, Jareth?"
"Never, sweet Sara."
"I remember the first time I saw you. The night you took Toby. I was so in awe of you. I wanted so many things all at the same time. It was like going from a jungle at noon to night on the deepest desert. Hot to cold. And back several times."
"I remember the first time I saw you perform those lines. You were twelve. I sat on the post in the park as I did so many times since then and listened as you spoke with such passion and fire. Then, the night of our confrontation in the Escher room, I was not disappointed. You spoke the words from your heart. Not your head."
"You were watching me when I was twelve?"
"At first I thought you were your mother. Then, I saw all the articles you had cut out of the magazines and newspapers about her. I saw the pain and love in your eyes when you read them. All I wanted then was to bring you here and protect you. I knew, though, that I couldn't. I had to wait and be patient." He laughed. "And patience is definitely not one of my strong points."
Sara sat upright. "I couldn't tell, Your Majesty." The devilish glint in her eyes made him laugh as he proceeded to tickle her into fits of laughter.
Once Sara had begged Jareth to stop tickling her, she curled back up next to him, secure in the knowledge that he would protect her with his last breath if that was what it took.
Jareth held Sara close, secure in his knowledge that she was the very air he breathed and, without her, life would not be worth living at all.
The next morning, Dris entered Sara's room to find a note from Jareth. "Dear family, Sara and I have gone flying. She says she needs the practice. We shall return later. Jareth."
Dris just chuckled and wondered how long it would be before they returned, let alone how long they had been gone.
Flying high above the Underground, Sara and Jareth rode thermals and just enjoyed themselves. He gave her pointers on how to direct her flight telepathically and she continually amazed him with her pure astonishment at how beautiful the Underground was.
"The last time you were here, you didn't exactly have time to look around, Sara. Now, you can enjoy the beauty of the realms and explore the riches that exist here."
"I'm so glad we can do this. It's almost relaxing." She paused. "Jareth, I'm getting awfully hungry."
"Then, let's head back to the Court. We can eat there and then you can rest. I know that I usually prefer a nap after flying this long."
"That sounds marvelous." They turned and headed back toward Court.