Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from "Labyrinth". But they get so
cantankerous at times that they think they own me.
Chapter 5
Sarah hadn't had any sleep in nearly twenty hours, but her nerves staved off her exhaustion. She sat on the bed, wide-awake and waiting until she thought the chances were good that the Goblin King was fast asleep. She slipped off Jareth's robe so the rustling folds wouldn't give her away and padded over to the French doors leading out to the balcony. To her joy, the doors opened quietly and easily when she pressed the handle. She looked down.well, she was up several stories, but her worst fears were thankfully unfounded. He hadn't locked her into some tower a mile above the ground. The sheets might reach just far enough to prevent her from breaking her neck.
She slipped back to the bed and set to work. Toby had joined the Boy Scouts when he was old enough and Sarah had picked his young brain for the best knots to use when she was working with some of the riggings at the theater. She thanked the heavens for small blessings. Within fifteen minutes, Sarah had a sturdy rope. She slipped outside and tied one end to the rungs of the balcony and then slipped the rope over the edge. The drop looked somewhat steep at the end, but no more than about eight feet. She could do this.
Sarah climbed over the balcony railing and quickly shinnied her way down the rope. Even as she crowed at her success she felt nervous. This had been too easy.
She reached the end of the sheets and prepared for what she hoped would be a graceful drop to the ground below. She let go and gracefully dropped into a pair of waiting arms - arms that locked around her tightly. Sarah squeaked in alarm and found herself looking straight into a pair of familiar, mis-matched eyes that glinted with humor.
"Going somewhere?" he purred into her ear. Sarah struggled in his grip and then became uncomfortably aware that the more she resisted, the more intimately he pressed her against him.
Jareth smiled down at her. He was enjoying this. He had figured his little bird would try to fly at the first opportunity and had changed the parameters of his spell just enough so that he could have the pleasure of catching her. He'd planned to transport her straight back to her room, but then thought that carrying her back himself might be even more pleasant. Without ceremony, he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of meal and walked back inside the castle.
Sarah had no idea what he would do to her now that she had tried to escape and her terror made her desperate. She fought against his strength like a madwoman. Jareth was forced to put her down for fear of dropping her, but he easily caught her when she tried to run. His hands clamped around her wrists and he whirled her to face him, twisting her arms behind her back. After a brief tussle, he managed to wrestle her over to a corner, where he could pin her in place against the wall with the rest of his body.
Sarah strained against Jareth's grip, kicking and twisting, but she was no match for his strength. The hopelessness of her situation finally came crashing in on her and she collapsed against him, the tears she'd been holding back streaking down her face. Jareth kept her arms pinned behind her, but his grip gentled. After a few minutes of just holding her as she cried, he released her hands and pulled her to him in a tender embrace, stroking her hair and murmuring any words of comfort he could think of. He lifted her delicate form, still shaking with sobs, into his arms and carried her gently to her room where he deposited her on the bed and continued to hold her close.
Sarah was so overcome with exhaustion that she couldn't fight him anymore. His fingers softly ran through her hair and over her cheek as he pulled her closer. She let him. Even if the Goblin King was her only company, she didn't want to be alone in that moment. Sleep blessedly stole over her as her cries quieted to the occasional sniffle or hiccough.
Jareth gazed down at her now peaceful features and dried the last tears from her face with this cloak. He lifted the covers and tucked Sarah warmly into the bed and then stretched out next to her on top of the blankets. He wanted nothing more than to kiss away the tears that clung to her long lashes and then move on to her full, pouting lips. They almost seemed to beckon to him, but he felt that giving into his considerable temptations right now would be wrong. He settled instead for fitting one arm around her waist protectively and curving his own body around hers. He had told her to fear him once and it seemed as though his wish had definitely been granted in full. He didn't know if she would ever grow to love him, but he was already her slave.
If nothing else, he knew his presence would prevent any further attempts at escape - at least for tonight. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he allowed sleep to claim him.
Chapter 5
Sarah hadn't had any sleep in nearly twenty hours, but her nerves staved off her exhaustion. She sat on the bed, wide-awake and waiting until she thought the chances were good that the Goblin King was fast asleep. She slipped off Jareth's robe so the rustling folds wouldn't give her away and padded over to the French doors leading out to the balcony. To her joy, the doors opened quietly and easily when she pressed the handle. She looked down.well, she was up several stories, but her worst fears were thankfully unfounded. He hadn't locked her into some tower a mile above the ground. The sheets might reach just far enough to prevent her from breaking her neck.
She slipped back to the bed and set to work. Toby had joined the Boy Scouts when he was old enough and Sarah had picked his young brain for the best knots to use when she was working with some of the riggings at the theater. She thanked the heavens for small blessings. Within fifteen minutes, Sarah had a sturdy rope. She slipped outside and tied one end to the rungs of the balcony and then slipped the rope over the edge. The drop looked somewhat steep at the end, but no more than about eight feet. She could do this.
Sarah climbed over the balcony railing and quickly shinnied her way down the rope. Even as she crowed at her success she felt nervous. This had been too easy.
She reached the end of the sheets and prepared for what she hoped would be a graceful drop to the ground below. She let go and gracefully dropped into a pair of waiting arms - arms that locked around her tightly. Sarah squeaked in alarm and found herself looking straight into a pair of familiar, mis-matched eyes that glinted with humor.
"Going somewhere?" he purred into her ear. Sarah struggled in his grip and then became uncomfortably aware that the more she resisted, the more intimately he pressed her against him.
Jareth smiled down at her. He was enjoying this. He had figured his little bird would try to fly at the first opportunity and had changed the parameters of his spell just enough so that he could have the pleasure of catching her. He'd planned to transport her straight back to her room, but then thought that carrying her back himself might be even more pleasant. Without ceremony, he threw her over his shoulder like a sack of meal and walked back inside the castle.
Sarah had no idea what he would do to her now that she had tried to escape and her terror made her desperate. She fought against his strength like a madwoman. Jareth was forced to put her down for fear of dropping her, but he easily caught her when she tried to run. His hands clamped around her wrists and he whirled her to face him, twisting her arms behind her back. After a brief tussle, he managed to wrestle her over to a corner, where he could pin her in place against the wall with the rest of his body.
Sarah strained against Jareth's grip, kicking and twisting, but she was no match for his strength. The hopelessness of her situation finally came crashing in on her and she collapsed against him, the tears she'd been holding back streaking down her face. Jareth kept her arms pinned behind her, but his grip gentled. After a few minutes of just holding her as she cried, he released her hands and pulled her to him in a tender embrace, stroking her hair and murmuring any words of comfort he could think of. He lifted her delicate form, still shaking with sobs, into his arms and carried her gently to her room where he deposited her on the bed and continued to hold her close.
Sarah was so overcome with exhaustion that she couldn't fight him anymore. His fingers softly ran through her hair and over her cheek as he pulled her closer. She let him. Even if the Goblin King was her only company, she didn't want to be alone in that moment. Sleep blessedly stole over her as her cries quieted to the occasional sniffle or hiccough.
Jareth gazed down at her now peaceful features and dried the last tears from her face with this cloak. He lifted the covers and tucked Sarah warmly into the bed and then stretched out next to her on top of the blankets. He wanted nothing more than to kiss away the tears that clung to her long lashes and then move on to her full, pouting lips. They almost seemed to beckon to him, but he felt that giving into his considerable temptations right now would be wrong. He settled instead for fitting one arm around her waist protectively and curving his own body around hers. He had told her to fear him once and it seemed as though his wish had definitely been granted in full. He didn't know if she would ever grow to love him, but he was already her slave.
If nothing else, he knew his presence would prevent any further attempts at escape - at least for tonight. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he allowed sleep to claim him.