Without a working clock, there was no way for Sarah to tell what time it was, but it seemed very late. She didn't want to stop talking to Jareth; there was a strong bond of friendship growing between them. She felt that if the night ended it would seem like only a dream, and there was a chance that things could go back to being awkward again. This was a completely new goblin king; he was kind, mature, and completely bound to his kingdom and its inhabitants. Her hand still grasped his; he seemed reluctant to let her go, and she decided he must need the support. Fighting a yawn and her drooping eyelids, Sarah took another drink of water and focused on what he was saying.
"You had asked about the Labyrinth, and how it came to be." Jareth's voice betrayed a bit of exhaustion, but his now calming voice continued into the night. "When I was 13 years old, I was presented with a choice. Each monarch had to choose a method to carry out their ultimate task. Mine, as I was telling you earlier, was to find unwanted children and build the goblin army with them, after they had been transformed. As a test of wisdom and knowledge, the task was to come up with a way to test whether or not the child was wanted. I was given 13 hours to devise something swift yet certain, and then report back to the elders.
"Well, I had always been partial to games and mythology; the idea of a labyrinth came to me easily. Instead of a creature to devour the wanderer, however, I imagined a changing labyrinth with creatures, a kingdom of its own within the walls. With the same 13 hours I was given to come up with the idea, I gave the labyrinth wanderers to come as far as possible. In that time, I could observe them, find out how determined they were to succeed, and find the missing family member. If their determination was low and they did not get very far in the labyrinth, the child was taken. If, however, their determination was enough to show their love for the child, they would be returned with a reprimand and lesson learned. The elders were satisfied with my method, and 2 years later, when my parents were gone; my idea was put into effect, at my coronation." Sarah looked into Jareth's eyes, watching the pride with which he told of his idea and how it had been incorporated.
"How many times did you return the children that you had taken?" Sarah looked at him nervously, trying not to shudder at the idea of innocent children being turned into horrible goblins. Jareth noticed her discomfort and squeezed her hand slightly, looking into her eyes.
"The number of parents and siblings who legitimately hate their children and brothers and sisters would shock you. It is also almost immediately evident when a child is unwanted by the behavior of the one trying to find the child. Sadly, my goblin minions have grown. It is a sad fact that I wish were different, but unfortunately there are evils in this world that are slow to change." Sarah sighed. A nagging part of her subconscious warned that the goblin king might be cruel, and might be sugar coating a horrible part of his reign. But the way he was looking at her, with concern and affection, overwhelmed her doubts and enabled her to put trust in him. Smiling softly, she yawned and looked toward the fire, which had diminished to glowing embers.
"I should get some more fire wood," she commented, releasing his hand reluctantly. She stood and stretched, dropping the blanket over him. He looked at her with eyes full of questions. He couldn't quite believe that she was giving him another chance. He was used to playing the villain, tormenting her and watching her frustration. This was a new part that he had to play. He watched Sarah walk toward the garage and grinned. He wouldn't mind playing this part at all.
Sarah shivered as she gathered logs from the woodpile in the garage. She glanced at the shelves and noticed a stack of old board games she had stored there after cleaning the basement the last time. Grinning, she carried the logs into the house.
"Are you tired?" she asked Jareth. He shook his head.
"Not really." He was having way too much fun watching Sarah giving in to trusting him.
"I found something to keep us occupied," Sarah grinned. Despite his attempt to stay calm and in control, Jareth's heart jump started, and his eyes flashed. He grinned. Sarah caught the look and instantly recognized the testosterone jumping to the surface. Shaking her head, she gave him what she hoped was a condescending glare, and traveled again out to the garage, lifting the stack of board games from the shelf. Kicking the door closed behind her, she carried the stack into the living room and set it on the floor next to the coffee table. "Games," she stated. The goblin king grinned again, tracing a finger over the box on top of the pile.
"I have a soft spot for games," he admitted, which caused Sarah to laugh.
"You don't say?" she smirked. She looked through the pile and read the titles. Life, Scattergories, Twister, Pay Day, Trouble, Scrabble. Jareth was looking curiously at the boxes.
"What is that one, with the brightly colored circles?" Jareth tried to sound as innocent as possible, not giving away his curiosity about the picture showing children twisted in knots on a multicolored playing field.
"I think we should try Scattergories first," Sarah suggested. There was no way that she was going to get twisted in knots with her enigmatic guest. Prying the cover off the red box, she placed notepads and pencils out on the table as well as the die with letters of the alphabet upon it. "Basically," she explained, "You roll the die to get a letter, then you come up with something that fits each category before the time runs out." Jareth poked at the timer, jumping slightly as the loud motor began to count down the time. Grinning, Sarah reached for the timer and stopped it. She rewound the timer and handed Jareth a notepad and a pencil. Rolling the die came up with the letter 'L.'
"Let the games begin," Jareth stated, as Sarah started the timer.