A Necessary Deception
by Scattered Logic
Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Everyone else is mine.
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Jareth returned to room he used as his office, adjacent to the throne room. He hadn't expected to see her and he certainly hadn't expected the surge of anger he'd felt. His mind in turmoil, he struggled to calm himself. He idly picked up a small marble box from his desk and studied it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. It had been a gift from... Jareth's mind went blank and the thoughts he fought to keep out flooded through his mind. His eyes darkened and he threw the box against the wall where it shattered into fragments. Before he could gain his composure, his aide, Ethain, came into the room.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Jareth shook his head. "What are you doing still awake?"
"I was reviewing the budget. I'm meeting with Brennan in the morning and he's sure to want more supplies." Ethain looked at the Goblin King with concern. "You haven't answered my question, Jareth. What's wrong?"
Jareth smiled slightly. He knew when his old friend began addressing him by his given name, there was no hope of distracting him.
"Sarah is here." Jareth said, his voice tight.
"How?" Ethain asked, surprised.
"I brought her. She asked to be taken." Jareth laughed humorlessly. "She wanted to apologize to me. She thought she would apologize and I would conveniently ignore the fact that she wished herself over to me."
Ethain looked at his friend steadily. "Why didn't you? You know the consequences of bringing her here." Suddenly Ethain's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Where is she?"
"She's with the healer."
Ethain looked puzzled. The Goblin King slumped wearily into the chair behind his desk.
"I had to bring her, Ethain. I had no choice. She's very ill. She would have died there."
Ethain sat across from his friend. "She asked you to heal her?" His voice was casual.
His nonchalance didn't fool Jareth. "No." He said shortly. "She had no ulterior motive. She doesn't even believe it can be done. She actually did want to apologize."
"And are you going to accept this apology?"
"I haven't decided."
"You plan on punishing her, then?" Ethain stretched his legs out before him.
"No," Jareth said, exasperated. "I don't know. I haven't had time to think. This has been somewhat unexpected."
Ethain nodded, his tone noncommittal, "She must be a grown woman now."
Jareth shot him a cold look. "That's not why I've brought her here."
"You know her presence will cause certain...assumptions...to be made, particularly by the Seelie Court."
"Your concern over this matter is unwarranted. She wished herself over to me. They know the rules."
"Yes, but inevitably some of them are going to come sniffing around. You'll have to protect her."
The King's eyes narrowed and his face became expressionless. "Are you implying that I cannot?"
"Of course not, none of them are fool enough to make an outright challenge. But a bit of anger and a few careless words on your part could do a great deal of damage."
Jareth waved a hand, dismissing Ethain's concerns. "It's not as if I'll have much contact with her. We'll find her quarters here in the castle. It's a large place; surely we can keep out of each other's way."
"She'll want to go home." Ethain kept his voice neutral. "And she's bound to have questions about the changes she will see here."
"I'll deal with her." Jareth said briefly.
Ethain looked at his friend carefully. His reunion with this woman had stirred up emotions Jareth usually kept hidden. They were clear in his eyes where anger fed off a deeper pain.
"Jareth, she was little more than a child when she was first here. Obviously she has matured or she wouldn't have apologized, and you are not the man she encountered here last."
A cold smile crossed the King's face. "Aren't I? I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint her. Sarah has always had such high expectations of me."
Ethain sighed to himself. This had the potential to go very, very badly.
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As soon as Jareth left, Sarah began backing away from the healer. "I don't know what you plan to do, but you just stay away."
"Young woman, what is your name?" His tone was curt.
"Sarah." She said, eyeing the door.
"What I plan on doing, Sarah, is healing you. That's what the King has commanded and that's what I shall do. Now sit down!"
Sarah thought if she could edge around him, she could be out the door and running before he could catch her. The healer wasn't fooled.
"You do understand that you're dying, don't you?" His tone gentled somewhat.
Sarah froze. "Yes," she whispered.
"Do you want to die?"
Her breath caught in her throat and she slowly shook her head.
"Then sit down." He pointed toward the chair again.
Sarah sat and watched him remove a large leather-bound book from a bookcase along the wall. After reading a few minutes, he turned back to her. He placed his right hand lightly on her forehead and used his left to cradle the back of her head. He began speaking in a lilting, musical language she'd never heard before and a warm, light sensation flowed through her. After a few moments, it concentrated in her head, becoming more intense. Just at the point of discomfort, the feeling ceased and the doctor removed his hands.
Dorenil leaned down to peer at her intently and Sarah saw that his eyes were indeed glowing. The glow gradually faded and he said, "Yes, that's working. How do you feel?"
Sarah sat silently and then said, astonished, "I don't have a headache."
"Of course not. I want to see you again tomorrow afternoon. Now, stay here." Without waiting for her to reply, he simply walked from the room.
"But I don't plan on being here tomorrow." Sarah whispered.
The healer returned with a large goblin dressed as a guard in tow.
"The King wished to speak with you when I had finished. The guard will escort you."
Sarah looked at Dorenil and softly thanked him. She wasn't sure what he had done, but at least he had relieved that constant headache. He merely nodded his head and waved her away.
As the goblin led her out of the room, Sarah heard Dorenil mutter, "A perfectly good night's sleep ruined. She wouldn't have died before the morning."
She followed the guard through winding hallways lit by torches. She recognized the throne room as they passed through and was surprised to see that everything seemed very neat with none of the litter and trash that had been evident on her first visit.
They entered a short hallway and stopped at an oak door. The guard knocked and Sarah heard an unfamiliar voice call, "Come in." The guard pushed open the door and gestured her forward. "The King will see you."
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As Sarah entered the room, she saw the Goblin King sitting behind a desk. A dark haired man who had been sitting in front of him rose to his feet. He was dressed in the much the same manner as the King, but his clothing was entirely in shades of gray.
He smiled at her and bowed slightly from the waist. "You must be Sarah."
"Sarah, this is Ethain, my aide." Jareth said lazily. "Ethain, may I present Sarah.
She glanced over at him and nodded jerkily.
Sarah looked at Jareth warily. "What do you want?"
His tone was insolent. "Want? You summoned me, as I recall."
"I called you to apologize, an apology you haven't accepted. I didn't want to come here." Her arms had gone rigid at her sides.
"Coming here is exactly what you asked of me." Jareth rose to face her, his eyes flashing.
Ethain said hastily, "Sarah, I understand that you were ill. Has Dorenil finished with you? Are you feeling better now?"
Dragging her eyes from the Goblin King, she looked at Ethain. He was not as tall as the King and his stocky frame seemed sturdy. Dark brown hair brushed his collar and his brown eyes were kind.
"Yes, my headache is gone. He--he wants to see me again tomorrow, but I need to go home." She appealed directly to Ethain.
He looked away from her.
Her heart sinking, Sarah turned back to the King. His face was now expressionless. She had the dizzying sensation of being 15 years old again. Quickly, she shook it off. She was far too old for tantrums and tears.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke quietly. "Thank you for what you've done for me. I appreciate it, I truly do. But I'd like you to send me home."
Jareth smiled faintly. "I can't do that."
"Why not?" She struggled to seem merely inquisitive.
"I can't send you back because you've already been back."
"I don't understand." Her tone was puzzled, but still polite.
Ethain felt a flash of admiration for her. She was obviously confused and more than a little frightened, but she was pushing it down to deal with Jareth calmly.
"A mortal may leave the Underground once, Sarah. If they return again, they must remain." Jareth said.
"But...but there must be some way around that. You certainly seem to come and go as you please."
Jareth looked amused. "I'm not mortal, but there are laws to which even I am bound. I couldn't send you back if I tried."
"Or wanted to?" Sarah said hotly. "You said you don't usually take adults, but you made an exception in my case. Why? You had to know that I'd be trapped here."
"You were dying there." Jareth's eyes had gone flat.
"And that mattered to you?" Sarah snapped.
Jareth's eyes narrowed and some emotion swept through them so quickly that Sarah was unable to identify it. Then it was gone and he began to walk toward her slowly.
His voice was like a lash. "Then let us say that you are here at my whim. You summoned me. You gave yourself over to me." He closed in on her and his gaze deliberately drifted over her body. He reached out and before she could react, twisted a hand in her long hair, pulling with just enough force to tilt her head back and compel her to meet his cold eyes. "This is not the Aboveworld, Sarah. I am King here and you are now subject to my will."
Sarah felt like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a hungry wolf. Terror shot through her like ice and some dim part of her mind hissed, 'Why didn't you consider this?' She struggled to catch her breath and she wondered frantically if those old words would work a second time.
As if reading her mind, Jareth smiled triumphantly. He whispered, "Don't bother saying it. I do have power over you, and by all that's sacred, one of us will die before I give it up."
The moment seemed to stretch out forever and the only sounds she could hear were his harsh breathing and the pounding of her heart.
Ethain cleared his throat and Sarah jumped as if shot and closed her eyes. She felt the Goblin King release her.
"Your Majesty, it is very late. Perhaps this conversation would be better continued after you have rested. I'm sure you're both very tired."
She opened her eyes again and saw that Jareth had moved away and turned his back to her.
"Yes," Jareth said remotely. "Show our guest to a room."
Wordlessly, Ethain quickly ushered Sarah into the hallway. Blindly, she followed Ethain. They didn't speak until, as they began to climb a staircase, she felt her legs buckle. Almost falling, she clumsily sat on a step.
Ethain stopped. "Are you all right?" Genuine concern colored his voice.
"Just the inevitable adrenaline crash. Give me a minute, okay?" Sarah looked up at the dark-haired man standing over her. "Have you known him long?"
"For most of my life." Ethain said.
"Then tell me--just how close was he to hurting me back there?" Sarah asked.
Ethain looked troubled. "I don't believe he would harm you, but I've never seen him quite like that before."
"I must bring out the best in him." Sarah rose, her legs still shaky.
"Sarah, don't judge him too harshly." Ethain's expression was serious. "There are many things you don't know."
"Yeah, I'm starting to figure that out." Sarah said darkly.
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Early the next morning Ethain found Jareth in the dining room, ostensibly eating breakfast, but actually just pushing the food around on his plate.
"Is it not to your liking, Your Majesty? I'll have the cook prepare something else if you prefer." Ethain knew the food wasn't the problem, but he was obligated to ask.
"No, I'm not hungry." Jareth said. Throwing his napkin down, he said abruptly, "I'll be gone all morning. I'll be back in time to hear grievances this afternoon."
"You deliberately frightened her." Ethain knew no explanation was necessary.
Jareth stopped at the doorway. Ethain understood that he was on dangerous ground, but he had to continue.
"It is, of course, your right as King to order any woman you wish into your bed, but you've never been that sort of man. Why did you give her the impression that you are?"
"Fear can be a highly effective motivator. She'll stay as far away from me now as possible." Jareth's voice was like ice.
Ethain knew enough to let the subject go. "Before you leave, Your Majesty, I thought perhaps it would make the transition easier on Sarah if she had a few of her own things here. Also, with your permission, I'd like to have a maid assigned to her. She is unfamiliar with our ways and I believe a maid could be a comfort to her."
Jareth nodded briefly. "See to it."
Jareth left as quickly as his dignity would allow. He had to get out of the castle. He'd walked the floor most of the night trying to decide what to do about Sarah. He should simply have accepted her apology and left her there. Taking her had been an impulse, but leaving her to die had been unthinkable.
Outside in the open courtyard, Jareth transformed into an owl and flew high over the castle, past the Goblin City and the labyrinth. The luxurious freedom of flight had always calmed him and today was no exception.
The beauty of his kingdom was extraordinary from the air and he felt a surge of pride as he looked over lush fields and towering forests. He came to rest beside a clear lake and took his human form again.
It was obvious from her apology that Sarah had come to realize the pain she had caused. What troubled him was the amount of pain she might still be able to inflict. Her impromptu addition to the story about the Goblin King falling in love with the girl had been unexpected and devastating. As hard as he had tried to fight those emotions, they had become overwhelming. At the end, he had stood before her genuinely hoping that she would accept what he offered.
He had known she wouldn't, of course. Her trip through the labyrinth had ended as it should, but that knowledge had not dulled the pain he felt when she refused him. He wouldn't go through that torment again.
Romantic love wasn't an emotion he was comfortable feeling. Liaisons among royalty were almost exclusively based on either lust or societal maneuvering. Marriages were certainly for political advantage. Deep affection was the most that one could hope from such an arrangement. Sarah had, with her careless words, turned his world upside down.
And now she was back and it shook him to feel that emotion stirring. He'd thought it dead and buried, but it was alive. Some part of him still loved her, but he refused to give in to it this time. It wasn't a real emotion, merely a lingering side effect of the momentary magic he'd granted her to gain what he had truly wanted. 'Are you certain?' His mind whispered. 'That spell would have faded long ago.'
He banished that thought viciously. If playing the cold, cruel Goblin King would keep her at arm's length then it was a small price to pay to prevent being hurt by her again.
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Sarah slowly woke, disoriented by her surroundings. As the memory of the previous night's events came back to her, she sat up hurriedly. Looking around at the stone walls and unfamiliar room, she knew that it hadn't been a dream and she thought back on the events of the previous evening.
After Ethain had left, she'd lain on the bed attempting to comprehend her situation. A few hours ago she had been trying to come to terms with her imminent death. Now she was back in the Underground, taken by the King of the Goblins and trapped here for the rest of her life; which would be much longer than she had anticipated if the healer was correct.
She had been badly frightened by the actions of the Goblin King in his office. Viewing her first visit here through the eyes of an adult, she remembered him as manipulative and seductive but never truly threatening. Had her perceptions changed or had he?
She'd turned these things over and over in her mind until finally, exhausted, she'd drifted off to sleep.
Getting off the bed, she realized she still didn't have a headache. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror hung on the wall, she grimaced at her appearance. Her clothes were badly wrinkled and her hair hung in tangles down her back. Dark smudges stood out starkly under her eyes.
A large pitcher and bowl stood on the table underneath the mirror and she poured out water to wash her face. Straightening, she wiped water from her eyes and looked around for a towel. Nothing. Sighing, she dried her face on hem of her t-shirt.
Feeling somewhat refreshed, she looked around. The only door was the one she'd come through last night. However, there was a large ornately carved screen in the corner. Peeking behind it, she found a rudimentary bathroom. Looking dubiously at the tub, she saw it had no plumbing.
She opened a drawer on the table under the mirror and found a comb and mirror. Other than the bed, there was no other furniture in the room, so she sat on the edge of the bed and gently worked the tangles from her hair.
As she finished, there was a knock on the door. Jumping up, she felt her heart leap into her throat. Plastering what she hoped was a confident look on her face, she opened the door. An older goblin woman stood there, holding a tray. She was taller than most of the goblins Sarah had seen when here before, but still very short. Her eyes were shiny black in her dried-apple face and she looked at Sarah curiously.
"Ah, good," she said, "You're up already. I've brought your breakfast."
Sarah stepped back and the goblin came in. She set the tray on the bed and looked Sarah over critically, frowning at her jeans and t-shirt.
"Your clothing is odd."
Sarah laughed softly, thinking of how the Goblin King and Ethain had been dressed. "It's common from where I'm from. I'm Sarah, who are you?"
The goblin woman looked surprised. "Well, I know who you are. His Grace told me. I'm Twylla. I'm to be your maid."
"His Grace?" Sarah asked. Was this some other way of referring to the King? And what was this about a maid?
"Yes, Lord Ethain. He's the one who sent me up with your breakfast. He said he'll be up to fetch you shortly." Twylla looked around the room, obviously ticking off a mental list of things to do. "I'll get your linens and have the room cleaned and some furniture moved in here. Goddess knows, we'll have to get you measured for clothes. You can't be going around looking like that, you'll shame us all."
Twylla bustled toward the door and Sarah said, "Wait. Do you know where the King is?"
Twylla looked incredulous. "Him? He's been up and gone for hours."
"Oh, well...thank you." Sarah said. At least she wouldn't have to face the Goblin King right away, but she knew that sooner or later it was inevitable. Sighing, she began to eat her breakfast.
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