Chapter Eight
Sarah sat huddled in the ragged blankets on the rickety bed. She held her head in her hands, trying desperately to keep her mind from breaking free and flying around the room. But she was afraid. Jareth had put her here, she knew. But for what horrible purpose? What was he going to do to her? Where, o where was Jonathan? Sarah longed for his comforting presence. As she lay on her side, she suddenly felt the child she carried within her move strongly. Sarah placed her hands desperately on either side of her belly. What would become of her baby? Sarah sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She had to be brave, she had to be strong, and she had to win, for her baby's sake. She stood up and began to pace the room, looking for any kind of a crack or cranny that would lend itself to an escape. Nothing. The walls were bare. Sarah thought some more. The last time she had been stuck in an oubliette, Hoggle had saved her. Maybe Hoggle!
Sarah dragged the bed over so it was directly underneath the shaft of light that tumbled from the grate above her head. She stood on the bed carefully and looked up. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called.
"Hoggle! Hoggle! Hoggle, please, it's Sarah! I'm trapped in the oubliette! You said if I should ever need you to call! HOG-GLE!!!"
"He's not here." Sarah spun around and weakly sank down on the bed.
"Jareth." Jareth smiled simply.
"Why have brought me here?" Sarah couldn't seem to keep the trembling out of her voice.
"Not to worry. You won't be here long." He smiled as Sarah shook with fear. It made him feel more powerful than she knew he was.
"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked. Jareth laughed.
"I'm going to wait. All good things come to he who waits." Sarah looked confused by this, but she was still petrified.
"Where's Hoggle?" Sarah asked desperately. Jareth sat down on the edge of the bed. Sarah moved as far away from him as possible.
"He's gone. So are all your other friends."
"Gone? Gone where? What have you done to them?"
"It's not what I have done, Sarah, but what you have done."
"What? What have I done?" Jareth moved closer. He was looking right into her eyes.
"You destroyed them when you destroyed my Labyrinth." Sarah was shaking her head in denial.
"No. No, that's impossible. I saw them after I defeated you. They said they'd come if I ever needed them, to just call and they'd come!" Jareth shrugged.
"They couldn't have known what was going to happen. After all, it didn't happen all at once."
"Are they.... are they...dead?" Sarah was afraid to hear the answer. "No,", her heart leaped with joy, then plummeted, "worse. They're real."
"What do you mean, real? They were real before!" Jareth spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.
"They were creatures of imagination before, so they were real to you. They still would be, too, if you hadn't solved the Labyrinth. Since the Labyrinth was solved, it was destroyed, and it became real."
"But what do you mean, where are they now?" Jareth pulled a bubble out of the air, and held it in his palm. Showing it to Sarah, he continued.
"Hoggle is a paperweight. The knightish fox is a child's toy. And the Rock beast is probably a rug on someone's floor." Images of these things flashed in the crystal as he spoke. Sarah felt the tears begin to form in her eyes.
"What have I done?", she said softly. She wanted to believe Jareth was lying, he had lied to her before, and he could be lying now. But in her heart she knew it to be true. Must she carry this guilt around the rest of her life? For the hundredth thousandth time, Sarah regretted ever saying the words. All she had caused was hurt and pain, both for herself, and now for her dear friends. She began to weep wretchedly.
"Of course, they will be back." Sarah's head snapped up.
"What?" Jareth smiled pleasantly.
"Your friends will be returning to the Underground soon. Have no fear." Sarah was really confused now.
"But you said-" Jareth leaned over to wipe a tear from Sarah's cheek. Sarah shied away from his touch.
"When the Labyrinth is reborn, your friends will be also. So you see, there is no need for tears."
"The Labyrinth? Reborn? But how can that happen?"
"Through a child, of course." He rested a hand on Sarah's stomach, ever so gently. Sarah's eyes open wide in horror. NO! NO! She clutched one arm around her swollen belly, and with the other reached out to strike at Jareth with all the maternal instinct that raged within her. Jareth caught her hand firmly, and held her wrist in a viselike grip. He was hurting her, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her soul. Jareth smiled cruelly, but when he spoke, his voice was cold and confident.
"This child is rightfully mine. I will have it. There is nothing you can do.", he said simply. Sarah began to struggle against him, and Jareth slapped her face once. Sarah dropped her head in despair. Jareth released her and stood, backing into the shadows. Sarah could still see his eyes long after the rest of him disappeared. His voice mockingly called from the dark.
"There is nothing you can do."
Sarah sat huddled in the ragged blankets on the rickety bed. She held her head in her hands, trying desperately to keep her mind from breaking free and flying around the room. But she was afraid. Jareth had put her here, she knew. But for what horrible purpose? What was he going to do to her? Where, o where was Jonathan? Sarah longed for his comforting presence. As she lay on her side, she suddenly felt the child she carried within her move strongly. Sarah placed her hands desperately on either side of her belly. What would become of her baby? Sarah sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She had to be brave, she had to be strong, and she had to win, for her baby's sake. She stood up and began to pace the room, looking for any kind of a crack or cranny that would lend itself to an escape. Nothing. The walls were bare. Sarah thought some more. The last time she had been stuck in an oubliette, Hoggle had saved her. Maybe Hoggle!
Sarah dragged the bed over so it was directly underneath the shaft of light that tumbled from the grate above her head. She stood on the bed carefully and looked up. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called.
"Hoggle! Hoggle! Hoggle, please, it's Sarah! I'm trapped in the oubliette! You said if I should ever need you to call! HOG-GLE!!!"
"He's not here." Sarah spun around and weakly sank down on the bed.
"Jareth." Jareth smiled simply.
"Why have brought me here?" Sarah couldn't seem to keep the trembling out of her voice.
"Not to worry. You won't be here long." He smiled as Sarah shook with fear. It made him feel more powerful than she knew he was.
"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked. Jareth laughed.
"I'm going to wait. All good things come to he who waits." Sarah looked confused by this, but she was still petrified.
"Where's Hoggle?" Sarah asked desperately. Jareth sat down on the edge of the bed. Sarah moved as far away from him as possible.
"He's gone. So are all your other friends."
"Gone? Gone where? What have you done to them?"
"It's not what I have done, Sarah, but what you have done."
"What? What have I done?" Jareth moved closer. He was looking right into her eyes.
"You destroyed them when you destroyed my Labyrinth." Sarah was shaking her head in denial.
"No. No, that's impossible. I saw them after I defeated you. They said they'd come if I ever needed them, to just call and they'd come!" Jareth shrugged.
"They couldn't have known what was going to happen. After all, it didn't happen all at once."
"Are they.... are they...dead?" Sarah was afraid to hear the answer. "No,", her heart leaped with joy, then plummeted, "worse. They're real."
"What do you mean, real? They were real before!" Jareth spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.
"They were creatures of imagination before, so they were real to you. They still would be, too, if you hadn't solved the Labyrinth. Since the Labyrinth was solved, it was destroyed, and it became real."
"But what do you mean, where are they now?" Jareth pulled a bubble out of the air, and held it in his palm. Showing it to Sarah, he continued.
"Hoggle is a paperweight. The knightish fox is a child's toy. And the Rock beast is probably a rug on someone's floor." Images of these things flashed in the crystal as he spoke. Sarah felt the tears begin to form in her eyes.
"What have I done?", she said softly. She wanted to believe Jareth was lying, he had lied to her before, and he could be lying now. But in her heart she knew it to be true. Must she carry this guilt around the rest of her life? For the hundredth thousandth time, Sarah regretted ever saying the words. All she had caused was hurt and pain, both for herself, and now for her dear friends. She began to weep wretchedly.
"Of course, they will be back." Sarah's head snapped up.
"What?" Jareth smiled pleasantly.
"Your friends will be returning to the Underground soon. Have no fear." Sarah was really confused now.
"But you said-" Jareth leaned over to wipe a tear from Sarah's cheek. Sarah shied away from his touch.
"When the Labyrinth is reborn, your friends will be also. So you see, there is no need for tears."
"The Labyrinth? Reborn? But how can that happen?"
"Through a child, of course." He rested a hand on Sarah's stomach, ever so gently. Sarah's eyes open wide in horror. NO! NO! She clutched one arm around her swollen belly, and with the other reached out to strike at Jareth with all the maternal instinct that raged within her. Jareth caught her hand firmly, and held her wrist in a viselike grip. He was hurting her, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her soul. Jareth smiled cruelly, but when he spoke, his voice was cold and confident.
"This child is rightfully mine. I will have it. There is nothing you can do.", he said simply. Sarah began to struggle against him, and Jareth slapped her face once. Sarah dropped her head in despair. Jareth released her and stood, backing into the shadows. Sarah could still see his eyes long after the rest of him disappeared. His voice mockingly called from the dark.
"There is nothing you can do."