Disclaimer: I own nothing from the "Labyrinth". Actually, about all I have
is $4.56, a button and some lint.
Chapter 7
Soon after Jareth left her, Sarah heard a knock on her door. She put down the book of Elvin poetry she'd been reading (thoughtfully translated into English by Jareth) and opened the door to see her dear friend Hoggle standing before her, arms outstretched. Their reunion was warm and tearful. After Sarah related the events of her return to the Underground, Hoggle sat silent for a long moment.
"Will you marry him?" he asked.
"Not if you can help me find a way out of it."
"Do you really think marriage to Jareth would be that bad?"
"Hoggle!" Sarah was shocked. "He kidnapped my brother, nearly killed you and me both any number of times, threatened to drop you into the Bog of Eternal Stench when you tried to help me, and then years after I defeat him, has the gall to kidnap me again - who knows why - and you can even ASK me that?"
"Sarah," Hoggle started tentatively, "he may not be the nicest of rulers all the time, but maybe Jareth has his side too. You must have asked him to come get you. How else could he have brought you here?"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Of course I didn't ask him to rip me away from my life and my family! Why would I do that? Oh, Hoggle." Sarah started to sob as Hoggle held her. "I have to get out of this somehow. My family must be so worried by now!"
"There, there. It's not so bad. You'll always have us - and once you marry Jareth you can see your family as well."
"I am not going to marry Jareth," Sarah ground out. "He told me he has some kind of spell up to keep me from escaping. Hoggle, if it's true there must be some way to break it. I was hoping you could help me."
"Oh Sarah, I would do anything for you if I could. Jareth is far too powerful. If you called him and he's decided to keep you, can't nobody help you. I'm sorry, Sarah."
Sarah was crestfallen, but she put on a brave face for her friend. She knew that he would be miserable if he saw how sad and frightened she really was. There had to be a way out of Jareth's power and if she was left all on her own to find it, she would do it.
Hoggle spent the rest of the morning showing Sarah around the castle. Sarah was forced to admit that the palace was exceedingly beautiful. The gardens were a breathtaking sight, the hedges arranged in their own miniature labyrinth, the paths filled with flowers and fountains and statues. After seeing Jareth's extensive library, any worries Sarah may have had about being bored evaporated entirely. She loved to read and could hardly wait to lose herself in a stack of books.
Sarah sucked in her breath when Hoggle opened the doors to Jareth's ballroom. The gorgeous room was just as she remembered it - huge candelabras, gold working and crystalline mirrors covering every wall, and then there was that deliciously decadent pillow pit in the center of the room. Remembering the moments she spent whirling around the dance floor in Jareth's arms made her want to beat a hasty retreat. She felt so ashamed knowing that she had almost given in to his charm. She remembered him singing something about painting her "mornings of gold" and spinning her "valentine evenings". To think that she'd ever believed such a thing made her feel like a complete dupe.
"Sarah?" Hoggle looked over at her with concern. "Is everything all right?"
She hadn't realized she had been wearing her emotions on her sleeve. "Oh.yes, Hoggle. I guess this room just holds some unpleasant memories for me, that's all."
"You've been here before?"
"Why, yes. I thought maybe you knew? After Jareth forced you to give me that peach, I took a bite and found myself here, dancing around Jareth's ballroom."
"He.he didn't hurt you or nothin'?" Hoggle looked very worried indeed.
"No, no. I shattered one of his mirrors and escaped. I just feel like such a fool knowing that I even thought of giving in to him."
"What do you mean, Sarah? You can tell your friend Hoggle."
Sarah knew she could and she finally did. None of her Underground friends had known exactly what happened after she'd bitten Jareth's peach. Sara had been too ashamed to tell them.
Sarah and Hoggle sat down in the pillow pit and her story tumbled out. She confessed everything to Hoggle about her temptation in the arms of the Goblin King and how horrible she felt when she realized that she'd nearly sacrificed her own brother for her dreams - especially when Jareth had only been mocking her the whole time.
"It's the silliest, most asinine thing, Hoggle, but in a way, I guess I'd have to say that Jareth broke my heart. For a moment, I actually believed that he did love me and I thought then that I could love him in return. How I ever could have been so stupid is beyond me. Jareth doesn't love anyone. Jareth sees something he wants and does whatever he has to do to take it. He wanted Toby and did everything in his power to keep me out of the way. The only reason I can think of for him to kidnap me and keep me here is revenge. I did defeat him and now, since he's taken me as his prisoner, he has, in a way, defeated me."
"Oh, Sarah, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I would have let Jareth dunk me in the Bog if I truly thought he'd hurt you. It's just that.he seemed like.well, for him, mind you, which isn't sayin' much.but.he seemed to really like you. I mean, he could have killed you lots of times but instead of leaving you in the oubliette, he sends me to take you back to the beginning. Instead of letting the cleaners chop us to pieces, he let the wall give out. Instead of letting the fireys tear your head off, he helps me find you so that I can pull you out. It seemed like he was goin' to a lot of trouble to keep you alive."
"He did all that? He LET the wall give? He HELPED you rescue me from the fireys? Why? I don't get it - especially since he only wanted to keep Toby all along. Why risk Toby's rescue at all?"
"Why come get Toby at all? Jareth doesn't usually answer to wishes unless people call him by name. It sounds to me like he had his eye on you for awhile." Hoggle said, looking at Sarah sideways. "Whatever his reasons, you sure do know how to get his attention."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the door.
"Ah - Sarah, Hogshead, how are you enjoying my palace?" Jareth stood imposingly in the door. "This room in particular holds many lovely memories for me," he continued, staring directly at Sarah.
Sarah felt her temper rising and struggled to check it. She had the insane urge to tell the king that his palace was a 'piece of cake'. Instead she settled for saying, "It's peachy."
Jareth smiled. In an instant he'd whipped out a crystal that gracefully spun itself into a peach in his hand. He held the peach out to Sarah. "Hungry?"
"No thank you. The last peach I tried here was rotten."
Jareth raised an eyebrow but didn't miss a beat. "Very well," he said and with a graceful flick of his fingers, the peach turned into a deliciously ripe-looking, golden pear.
Sarah's green eyes locked with his gaze. She was sick of being afraid. Without giving herself time to think about it, she reached out, plucked the pear from his grasp and took a bite. The juices of the pear filled her mouth with cool, sweet nectar. She started to feel a warm, languid sensation in the pit of her stomach as she slowly took another bite. Relaxation stole through her body and for a moment she forgot her anger. On instinct, she held out the pear to Jareth, offering it to him. Eyes still locked with hers, he took the pear and bit into it himself.
Although Sarah's anger had left her, she was still very much aware that the pear had been enchanted.
"What did you do to it?" she asked, oddly at ease and yet expecting an answer.
"A little magic to increase your sense of well-being. We have a lot of work to do this afternoon and I want you to feel comfortable so that you won't be distracted. See? It's harmless," the king assured her, taking another bite himself to emphasize his point.
Hoggle's worry had returned. "It won't hurt the missy or nothin'?" he asked suspiciously.
"Hogsbrain, you of all people should know that I would never cause Sarah any harm. Now if you'll excuse us, Sarah has a great deal to learn about running a kingdom." Jareth grasped Sarah's hand and led her from the room.
Hoggle stared after them, concerned and confused. He'd long suspected that the king truly loved Sarah, but questioned his methods in seducing her. He secretly thought that Sarah might be just what the Underground needed to bring a little balance to the government, but he was also worried for his friend. He loved Sarah and would personally gather all of Sarah's Underground friends and revolt against Jareth if he so much as harmed a hair on that girl's head - Bog or no Bog.
Now that he knew the whole story behind the peach Jareth had forced him to give to her, Hoggle could see why Sarah might despise the Goblin King for playing with her heart. He just hoped Jareth wouldn't screw it up again this time. Having Sarah as a Goblin Queen would actually be quite wonderful, if Jareth could pull it off and actually win her love. Hoggle sighed, and let himself out of the ballroom. Maybe she would be more effective than His-Royal-Peachiness at doing something about those damn fairies.
Chapter 7
Soon after Jareth left her, Sarah heard a knock on her door. She put down the book of Elvin poetry she'd been reading (thoughtfully translated into English by Jareth) and opened the door to see her dear friend Hoggle standing before her, arms outstretched. Their reunion was warm and tearful. After Sarah related the events of her return to the Underground, Hoggle sat silent for a long moment.
"Will you marry him?" he asked.
"Not if you can help me find a way out of it."
"Do you really think marriage to Jareth would be that bad?"
"Hoggle!" Sarah was shocked. "He kidnapped my brother, nearly killed you and me both any number of times, threatened to drop you into the Bog of Eternal Stench when you tried to help me, and then years after I defeat him, has the gall to kidnap me again - who knows why - and you can even ASK me that?"
"Sarah," Hoggle started tentatively, "he may not be the nicest of rulers all the time, but maybe Jareth has his side too. You must have asked him to come get you. How else could he have brought you here?"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Of course I didn't ask him to rip me away from my life and my family! Why would I do that? Oh, Hoggle." Sarah started to sob as Hoggle held her. "I have to get out of this somehow. My family must be so worried by now!"
"There, there. It's not so bad. You'll always have us - and once you marry Jareth you can see your family as well."
"I am not going to marry Jareth," Sarah ground out. "He told me he has some kind of spell up to keep me from escaping. Hoggle, if it's true there must be some way to break it. I was hoping you could help me."
"Oh Sarah, I would do anything for you if I could. Jareth is far too powerful. If you called him and he's decided to keep you, can't nobody help you. I'm sorry, Sarah."
Sarah was crestfallen, but she put on a brave face for her friend. She knew that he would be miserable if he saw how sad and frightened she really was. There had to be a way out of Jareth's power and if she was left all on her own to find it, she would do it.
Hoggle spent the rest of the morning showing Sarah around the castle. Sarah was forced to admit that the palace was exceedingly beautiful. The gardens were a breathtaking sight, the hedges arranged in their own miniature labyrinth, the paths filled with flowers and fountains and statues. After seeing Jareth's extensive library, any worries Sarah may have had about being bored evaporated entirely. She loved to read and could hardly wait to lose herself in a stack of books.
Sarah sucked in her breath when Hoggle opened the doors to Jareth's ballroom. The gorgeous room was just as she remembered it - huge candelabras, gold working and crystalline mirrors covering every wall, and then there was that deliciously decadent pillow pit in the center of the room. Remembering the moments she spent whirling around the dance floor in Jareth's arms made her want to beat a hasty retreat. She felt so ashamed knowing that she had almost given in to his charm. She remembered him singing something about painting her "mornings of gold" and spinning her "valentine evenings". To think that she'd ever believed such a thing made her feel like a complete dupe.
"Sarah?" Hoggle looked over at her with concern. "Is everything all right?"
She hadn't realized she had been wearing her emotions on her sleeve. "Oh.yes, Hoggle. I guess this room just holds some unpleasant memories for me, that's all."
"You've been here before?"
"Why, yes. I thought maybe you knew? After Jareth forced you to give me that peach, I took a bite and found myself here, dancing around Jareth's ballroom."
"He.he didn't hurt you or nothin'?" Hoggle looked very worried indeed.
"No, no. I shattered one of his mirrors and escaped. I just feel like such a fool knowing that I even thought of giving in to him."
"What do you mean, Sarah? You can tell your friend Hoggle."
Sarah knew she could and she finally did. None of her Underground friends had known exactly what happened after she'd bitten Jareth's peach. Sara had been too ashamed to tell them.
Sarah and Hoggle sat down in the pillow pit and her story tumbled out. She confessed everything to Hoggle about her temptation in the arms of the Goblin King and how horrible she felt when she realized that she'd nearly sacrificed her own brother for her dreams - especially when Jareth had only been mocking her the whole time.
"It's the silliest, most asinine thing, Hoggle, but in a way, I guess I'd have to say that Jareth broke my heart. For a moment, I actually believed that he did love me and I thought then that I could love him in return. How I ever could have been so stupid is beyond me. Jareth doesn't love anyone. Jareth sees something he wants and does whatever he has to do to take it. He wanted Toby and did everything in his power to keep me out of the way. The only reason I can think of for him to kidnap me and keep me here is revenge. I did defeat him and now, since he's taken me as his prisoner, he has, in a way, defeated me."
"Oh, Sarah, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I would have let Jareth dunk me in the Bog if I truly thought he'd hurt you. It's just that.he seemed like.well, for him, mind you, which isn't sayin' much.but.he seemed to really like you. I mean, he could have killed you lots of times but instead of leaving you in the oubliette, he sends me to take you back to the beginning. Instead of letting the cleaners chop us to pieces, he let the wall give out. Instead of letting the fireys tear your head off, he helps me find you so that I can pull you out. It seemed like he was goin' to a lot of trouble to keep you alive."
"He did all that? He LET the wall give? He HELPED you rescue me from the fireys? Why? I don't get it - especially since he only wanted to keep Toby all along. Why risk Toby's rescue at all?"
"Why come get Toby at all? Jareth doesn't usually answer to wishes unless people call him by name. It sounds to me like he had his eye on you for awhile." Hoggle said, looking at Sarah sideways. "Whatever his reasons, you sure do know how to get his attention."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the door.
"Ah - Sarah, Hogshead, how are you enjoying my palace?" Jareth stood imposingly in the door. "This room in particular holds many lovely memories for me," he continued, staring directly at Sarah.
Sarah felt her temper rising and struggled to check it. She had the insane urge to tell the king that his palace was a 'piece of cake'. Instead she settled for saying, "It's peachy."
Jareth smiled. In an instant he'd whipped out a crystal that gracefully spun itself into a peach in his hand. He held the peach out to Sarah. "Hungry?"
"No thank you. The last peach I tried here was rotten."
Jareth raised an eyebrow but didn't miss a beat. "Very well," he said and with a graceful flick of his fingers, the peach turned into a deliciously ripe-looking, golden pear.
Sarah's green eyes locked with his gaze. She was sick of being afraid. Without giving herself time to think about it, she reached out, plucked the pear from his grasp and took a bite. The juices of the pear filled her mouth with cool, sweet nectar. She started to feel a warm, languid sensation in the pit of her stomach as she slowly took another bite. Relaxation stole through her body and for a moment she forgot her anger. On instinct, she held out the pear to Jareth, offering it to him. Eyes still locked with hers, he took the pear and bit into it himself.
Although Sarah's anger had left her, she was still very much aware that the pear had been enchanted.
"What did you do to it?" she asked, oddly at ease and yet expecting an answer.
"A little magic to increase your sense of well-being. We have a lot of work to do this afternoon and I want you to feel comfortable so that you won't be distracted. See? It's harmless," the king assured her, taking another bite himself to emphasize his point.
Hoggle's worry had returned. "It won't hurt the missy or nothin'?" he asked suspiciously.
"Hogsbrain, you of all people should know that I would never cause Sarah any harm. Now if you'll excuse us, Sarah has a great deal to learn about running a kingdom." Jareth grasped Sarah's hand and led her from the room.
Hoggle stared after them, concerned and confused. He'd long suspected that the king truly loved Sarah, but questioned his methods in seducing her. He secretly thought that Sarah might be just what the Underground needed to bring a little balance to the government, but he was also worried for his friend. He loved Sarah and would personally gather all of Sarah's Underground friends and revolt against Jareth if he so much as harmed a hair on that girl's head - Bog or no Bog.
Now that he knew the whole story behind the peach Jareth had forced him to give to her, Hoggle could see why Sarah might despise the Goblin King for playing with her heart. He just hoped Jareth wouldn't screw it up again this time. Having Sarah as a Goblin Queen would actually be quite wonderful, if Jareth could pull it off and actually win her love. Hoggle sighed, and let himself out of the ballroom. Maybe she would be more effective than His-Royal-Peachiness at doing something about those damn fairies.