Disclaimer: Sarah, Jareth and all other mainstream characters from the
Labyrinth do not belong to me.
Synopsis: Sarah & Jareth have to prove their love for one another. Sarah runs the gauntlet again, but what will Jareth do?
Everything I do
Chapter 2 - The challenge
The day had dragged. So much so, that she had decided to shut up shop at 2.00 pm. After all, she needed to have her dinner and as business had been very slow she felt coming back after lunch would be unbearable. But first she had an errand to run.
After locking up, she turned and walked directly opposite the street to the Post Office. She waited in the small queue until it was her turn, forgetting that today was benefit day and all of the elderly people, of her and the neighbouring villages, would descended on the tiny one-man business. Finally reaching the counter she asked the assistant for the stamps she needed and when they had exchanged money for tokens she moved to the side to affix them to the letters that she needed to send. She made her way out of the shop and put the envelopes into the awaiting red box outside.
Briefly waving to her neighbour, and local gossip, Hattie Wareham, she continued on her way up the high street to take the second turning on her left. A few yards more and she stood outside her inviting 'chocolate box' thatched cottage. She walked through the gate and shut it behind her as she surveyed the small garden to the front of the property. Jacob, Hattie's husband, had outdone himself that weekend. She no longer had to wince at the amount of weeds that usually protruded from the borders and it was nice to see a pleasant array of flowers and small shrubs that otherwise would have been left to grow wild. She liked gardening, one of the reasons she had purchased the cottage, but she never seemed to have the time to get on with it these days. It had been lovely of Jacob to offer. He had recently retired and needed to find something to fill his days, so Sarah had accepted his offer to sort out the mess presuming to give him some money in return. However, he wouldn't agree to that, so in the end they settled on Sarah paying for the stock and agreeing to have them to dinner once a month.
Stepping up to the front door she put her key into the lock and turned, noticing the swinging motion of the knocker's handle as she opened it. It never failed to bring a smile to her face, she could always remember her and Ludo's encounter with the two doorknocker's in the Labyrinth. If the truth were known, that had been another reason for her buying the cottage. She shut the door behind her and automatically locked it. It wasn't like she was in New York anymore, but she never had felt safe unless it were just so.
She surveyed the room before her, being an older property there was no hall, and once your foot was over the threshold you were in the lounge. It was large enough to carry a dining table and that was exactly what she had done. She loved this room, it was her favourite; she had painted the walls with a bright sunshine yellow colour, almost golden and the wood, that rose from the floor to dado height she had stained a dark oak colour. The ceiling was painted in the same colour too, Gary had helped her, and the beams had been painted to match the woodwork. She removed her fleece jacket and hung that, along with her purse, on the hook behind the door. Kicking off her shoes in the same general direction and fishing around her bag for the sandwiches she had packed for her lunch earlier, she went out to the kitchen at the rear of the house.
She switched on the radio that sat on the windowsill and flicked the switch on the kettle; pulling out a teapot from one of the overhead cupboards she set that down and waited for the kettle to boil. She quickly warmed the pot before putting in the leaves and pouring the boiled water over them to allow them to infuse. She found her mug and poured in a little milk before she filled the mug up with the strained tea. Picking up her mug and sandwiches she decided to sit outside on her patio, it was a nice afternoon and she would be able to appreciate her back garden as she had the front. Jacob had finished out there too.
She could still hear the radio from her seat on the patio and absently hummed along with the tune it was playing. Halfway through the second verse the song appeared to change as another melody seemed to take its place, and she knew this one a lot better, didn't even make a mistake. Racking her brain she tried to remember where she had heard the haunting ballad before, then she remembered.
She straightened herself up in her chair as her face took on an angry disposition. "You couldn't even give me five minutes to have my lunch, could you Jareth. You always have to have your way. Okay, if that's the way you want it. I wish to see Jareth right now!"
Confused, she looked around her. If he was there he was hiding, as he certainly wasn't in front or behind her. "I do hope you're not playing games with me, Jareth." But then that wasn't his style, was it?
She got up from her seat and walked into the house thinking that the arrogant son-of-a-bitch may have been loafing about in her living room, but he wasn't there either. Frustrated, she took a seat by one of the front windows to think about the turn of events. 'So,' she thought, ' perhaps he is being stubborn, no I probably didn't call right, but then I wished and I only ever told the others I needed them and they would arrive. Perhaps that's it!'
She called again, "Jareth, I need you." A smile appeared over her lips as she thought about how imposing he would be standing in front of her in her living room. She herself, only just managed to walk about in the room without her tall frame having to stoop. Waiting for the dramatics to unfold before her, she envisioned him knocking his head against one of the beams as he materialised. But nothing happened again.
'Well, if that wasn't it then he probably is being stubborn, as I first suspected,' she thought. This time she readied herself, "I wish to see the Goblin King."
A cloud of dust and blue sparkle rained down as figure appeared before her, but unless Jareth had had a foot skimmed off his legs then it wasn't him that stood before her. Besides this man had dark hair as well.
"Who are you?" She enquired, "and where the hell is Jareth?"
The man before her tried to look foreboding as he stood there before her but it just wasn't working. "I am the Goblin King, my name is Luther." He squirmed slightly as he saw the look of disbelief pass over Sarah's face.
"Are you really? You don't much like a Goblin King to me!"
"Don't' I," he stammered, "maybe this will sway your judgement of me." His voice now a little more settled. He produced a crystal, not as clear or as dainty as Jareth's, but a crystal nonetheless. He tossed it to her in such a quick movement that she nearly didn't catch it, but upon feeling its weight in her hands she knew it was safe. "Look into it, my dear, it will show you ."
"If it's going to show me my dreams I don't need it," she said readying to throw it back to him.
"Sarah wait, it will show you your dreams, but it will also show you Jareth. He is part of your dream is he not?"
"Yes, but ."
"Look!"
Hesitantly, she drew it up in front of her face and peered into its depths. A murky blue fog enveloped everything within it for a few moments before it was rushed away and she saw Jareth. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw him looking sad and forlorn. He still wore his usual get up, on this occasion dark grey pants were teamed with a white open necked shirt, the fluttering collar of which sat over a small black fitted leather waistcoat, the sleeves were full and fitted at the wrist, opulent cuffs reaching over his black leather clad hands to touch the crevice of his fingers and his normal black knee length boots encased his legs and feet.
However, this was not what concerned Sarah, she was more concerned with where he was. All around him was darkness and she could just make out the taught skin seat of the inadequate bench he was perched on. She had seen one of those before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience for her. "Why is Jareth in one of his oubliette's?"
"It is a test, milady."
"A test?"
"Yes, you see we, that is myself and other members of the Seelie Court, have become concerned that Jareth's love for you is making him unstable, and therefore unsuitable to continue his role as the Goblin King. So because of this we have placed him in one of his oubliettes in order to keep him and other's out of harms way. I am presently taking his place until his return or his demise."
"So you are saying that he is a danger to himself because he loves me."
"Yes!"
"How can a man in love be a danger to himself?"
"We thought you might ask that question. You see, being in love is not a bad thing, wherever you hail from. It is just that he is so involved with his thoughts of you that he is neglecting everyone, his people, his kingdom and most of all himself. We have heard accounts that he hasn't eaten in weeks."
"No, I don't believe you. There is no way that he would do that to himself, especially because of me."
"But you are the reason he does do it. He never imagined anyone to beat his labyrinth but once you had, he no longer had the control he thought he had over you. The Labyrinth is, after all, an extension of himself, the more hatred he feels towards someone then the more the Labyrinth manipulates itself to challenge the person that is running it. However, you my dear, had an easy ride, his feelings for you were such that the Labyrinth helped you and gave you an easier path."
"I don't consider my journey to have been easy."
"No, but relatively speaking it was. Although at first I really believe that Jareth had his emotions under control, you certainly didn't find the first two sections that easy, but you have to admit towards the end it wasn't so rough. And he could have taken your friends away from you at anytime if he had so wished."
"But what about the peach, he tried to make me forget about Toby."
"No, that was not his intention. He just wanted you to be able to see the other side of him. He is a proud man, Sarah, and will not show his emotions to just anyone. You were the only one to make him feel vulnerable, that is why he wanted you to see him as he truly is, a good kind-hearted soul, who only played the villain because it was your will for him to be as such."
"So as part of the Seelie Court, you are punishing him for falling in love with me."
"We have to do what we feel is right, and besides he isn't just falling he has fallen."
"How do you know so much about this? Surely the court would not have found out all of this information from rumours?"
"I am Jareth's friend. Over the past 15 Aboveground years he has grown weak with his love and admiration for you, he has kept watch over you, he knows how you have matured and that only makes his heart grow fonder. Few children are wished away these days and those wishers that accept the task, rarely have a decent challenge in his Labyrinth. Rest assured, you are the only one to have finished and defeated him but that doesn't stop the fact that if this continues as it has already been allowed to go, then another will finish and then another, until finally the Labyrinth and the Underground will cease to exist."
"I guess your not just standing here to play some kind of joke, so why are you here."
"You called me, remember!"
"Yes, but | guess if I hadn't you would have come looking for me sooner or later."
"Yes, I would have. Do you love Jareth, Sarah?"
"Yes!"
"Would you lay down your life for him?"
She eyed him nervously, and firmly nodded her head. "Yes!"
"Then we have a task for you, if you choose to accept it that is. You will have thirteen hours to traverse the Labyrinth and walk through the door of the castle beyond the goblin city. Your prize, should you win, will be Jareth and all of his love."
"And if I lose?"
"I doubt that you will lose but if you do then you will return here on your own and Jareth ."
"Yes?"
"Jareth will stay in the oubliette until he is forgotten."
She looked at his face; there was nothing but sincerity there. How could they think that they could just leave him there and forget about him. She had to do it, not only because she loved him but also because she couldn't allow these bastards to keep him from what he did best, playing the villain to a wisher's hero. "Well, I suppose, we better get started then. The sooner I get through this maze again, the sooner Jareth can get out of that whole."
"I knew that you and your heart would not allow him to rot in that cell. Please follow me Sarah. I will take you to the beginning."
Synopsis: Sarah & Jareth have to prove their love for one another. Sarah runs the gauntlet again, but what will Jareth do?
Everything I do
Chapter 2 - The challenge
The day had dragged. So much so, that she had decided to shut up shop at 2.00 pm. After all, she needed to have her dinner and as business had been very slow she felt coming back after lunch would be unbearable. But first she had an errand to run.
After locking up, she turned and walked directly opposite the street to the Post Office. She waited in the small queue until it was her turn, forgetting that today was benefit day and all of the elderly people, of her and the neighbouring villages, would descended on the tiny one-man business. Finally reaching the counter she asked the assistant for the stamps she needed and when they had exchanged money for tokens she moved to the side to affix them to the letters that she needed to send. She made her way out of the shop and put the envelopes into the awaiting red box outside.
Briefly waving to her neighbour, and local gossip, Hattie Wareham, she continued on her way up the high street to take the second turning on her left. A few yards more and she stood outside her inviting 'chocolate box' thatched cottage. She walked through the gate and shut it behind her as she surveyed the small garden to the front of the property. Jacob, Hattie's husband, had outdone himself that weekend. She no longer had to wince at the amount of weeds that usually protruded from the borders and it was nice to see a pleasant array of flowers and small shrubs that otherwise would have been left to grow wild. She liked gardening, one of the reasons she had purchased the cottage, but she never seemed to have the time to get on with it these days. It had been lovely of Jacob to offer. He had recently retired and needed to find something to fill his days, so Sarah had accepted his offer to sort out the mess presuming to give him some money in return. However, he wouldn't agree to that, so in the end they settled on Sarah paying for the stock and agreeing to have them to dinner once a month.
Stepping up to the front door she put her key into the lock and turned, noticing the swinging motion of the knocker's handle as she opened it. It never failed to bring a smile to her face, she could always remember her and Ludo's encounter with the two doorknocker's in the Labyrinth. If the truth were known, that had been another reason for her buying the cottage. She shut the door behind her and automatically locked it. It wasn't like she was in New York anymore, but she never had felt safe unless it were just so.
She surveyed the room before her, being an older property there was no hall, and once your foot was over the threshold you were in the lounge. It was large enough to carry a dining table and that was exactly what she had done. She loved this room, it was her favourite; she had painted the walls with a bright sunshine yellow colour, almost golden and the wood, that rose from the floor to dado height she had stained a dark oak colour. The ceiling was painted in the same colour too, Gary had helped her, and the beams had been painted to match the woodwork. She removed her fleece jacket and hung that, along with her purse, on the hook behind the door. Kicking off her shoes in the same general direction and fishing around her bag for the sandwiches she had packed for her lunch earlier, she went out to the kitchen at the rear of the house.
She switched on the radio that sat on the windowsill and flicked the switch on the kettle; pulling out a teapot from one of the overhead cupboards she set that down and waited for the kettle to boil. She quickly warmed the pot before putting in the leaves and pouring the boiled water over them to allow them to infuse. She found her mug and poured in a little milk before she filled the mug up with the strained tea. Picking up her mug and sandwiches she decided to sit outside on her patio, it was a nice afternoon and she would be able to appreciate her back garden as she had the front. Jacob had finished out there too.
She could still hear the radio from her seat on the patio and absently hummed along with the tune it was playing. Halfway through the second verse the song appeared to change as another melody seemed to take its place, and she knew this one a lot better, didn't even make a mistake. Racking her brain she tried to remember where she had heard the haunting ballad before, then she remembered.
She straightened herself up in her chair as her face took on an angry disposition. "You couldn't even give me five minutes to have my lunch, could you Jareth. You always have to have your way. Okay, if that's the way you want it. I wish to see Jareth right now!"
Confused, she looked around her. If he was there he was hiding, as he certainly wasn't in front or behind her. "I do hope you're not playing games with me, Jareth." But then that wasn't his style, was it?
She got up from her seat and walked into the house thinking that the arrogant son-of-a-bitch may have been loafing about in her living room, but he wasn't there either. Frustrated, she took a seat by one of the front windows to think about the turn of events. 'So,' she thought, ' perhaps he is being stubborn, no I probably didn't call right, but then I wished and I only ever told the others I needed them and they would arrive. Perhaps that's it!'
She called again, "Jareth, I need you." A smile appeared over her lips as she thought about how imposing he would be standing in front of her in her living room. She herself, only just managed to walk about in the room without her tall frame having to stoop. Waiting for the dramatics to unfold before her, she envisioned him knocking his head against one of the beams as he materialised. But nothing happened again.
'Well, if that wasn't it then he probably is being stubborn, as I first suspected,' she thought. This time she readied herself, "I wish to see the Goblin King."
A cloud of dust and blue sparkle rained down as figure appeared before her, but unless Jareth had had a foot skimmed off his legs then it wasn't him that stood before her. Besides this man had dark hair as well.
"Who are you?" She enquired, "and where the hell is Jareth?"
The man before her tried to look foreboding as he stood there before her but it just wasn't working. "I am the Goblin King, my name is Luther." He squirmed slightly as he saw the look of disbelief pass over Sarah's face.
"Are you really? You don't much like a Goblin King to me!"
"Don't' I," he stammered, "maybe this will sway your judgement of me." His voice now a little more settled. He produced a crystal, not as clear or as dainty as Jareth's, but a crystal nonetheless. He tossed it to her in such a quick movement that she nearly didn't catch it, but upon feeling its weight in her hands she knew it was safe. "Look into it, my dear, it will show you ."
"If it's going to show me my dreams I don't need it," she said readying to throw it back to him.
"Sarah wait, it will show you your dreams, but it will also show you Jareth. He is part of your dream is he not?"
"Yes, but ."
"Look!"
Hesitantly, she drew it up in front of her face and peered into its depths. A murky blue fog enveloped everything within it for a few moments before it was rushed away and she saw Jareth. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw him looking sad and forlorn. He still wore his usual get up, on this occasion dark grey pants were teamed with a white open necked shirt, the fluttering collar of which sat over a small black fitted leather waistcoat, the sleeves were full and fitted at the wrist, opulent cuffs reaching over his black leather clad hands to touch the crevice of his fingers and his normal black knee length boots encased his legs and feet.
However, this was not what concerned Sarah, she was more concerned with where he was. All around him was darkness and she could just make out the taught skin seat of the inadequate bench he was perched on. She had seen one of those before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience for her. "Why is Jareth in one of his oubliette's?"
"It is a test, milady."
"A test?"
"Yes, you see we, that is myself and other members of the Seelie Court, have become concerned that Jareth's love for you is making him unstable, and therefore unsuitable to continue his role as the Goblin King. So because of this we have placed him in one of his oubliettes in order to keep him and other's out of harms way. I am presently taking his place until his return or his demise."
"So you are saying that he is a danger to himself because he loves me."
"Yes!"
"How can a man in love be a danger to himself?"
"We thought you might ask that question. You see, being in love is not a bad thing, wherever you hail from. It is just that he is so involved with his thoughts of you that he is neglecting everyone, his people, his kingdom and most of all himself. We have heard accounts that he hasn't eaten in weeks."
"No, I don't believe you. There is no way that he would do that to himself, especially because of me."
"But you are the reason he does do it. He never imagined anyone to beat his labyrinth but once you had, he no longer had the control he thought he had over you. The Labyrinth is, after all, an extension of himself, the more hatred he feels towards someone then the more the Labyrinth manipulates itself to challenge the person that is running it. However, you my dear, had an easy ride, his feelings for you were such that the Labyrinth helped you and gave you an easier path."
"I don't consider my journey to have been easy."
"No, but relatively speaking it was. Although at first I really believe that Jareth had his emotions under control, you certainly didn't find the first two sections that easy, but you have to admit towards the end it wasn't so rough. And he could have taken your friends away from you at anytime if he had so wished."
"But what about the peach, he tried to make me forget about Toby."
"No, that was not his intention. He just wanted you to be able to see the other side of him. He is a proud man, Sarah, and will not show his emotions to just anyone. You were the only one to make him feel vulnerable, that is why he wanted you to see him as he truly is, a good kind-hearted soul, who only played the villain because it was your will for him to be as such."
"So as part of the Seelie Court, you are punishing him for falling in love with me."
"We have to do what we feel is right, and besides he isn't just falling he has fallen."
"How do you know so much about this? Surely the court would not have found out all of this information from rumours?"
"I am Jareth's friend. Over the past 15 Aboveground years he has grown weak with his love and admiration for you, he has kept watch over you, he knows how you have matured and that only makes his heart grow fonder. Few children are wished away these days and those wishers that accept the task, rarely have a decent challenge in his Labyrinth. Rest assured, you are the only one to have finished and defeated him but that doesn't stop the fact that if this continues as it has already been allowed to go, then another will finish and then another, until finally the Labyrinth and the Underground will cease to exist."
"I guess your not just standing here to play some kind of joke, so why are you here."
"You called me, remember!"
"Yes, but | guess if I hadn't you would have come looking for me sooner or later."
"Yes, I would have. Do you love Jareth, Sarah?"
"Yes!"
"Would you lay down your life for him?"
She eyed him nervously, and firmly nodded her head. "Yes!"
"Then we have a task for you, if you choose to accept it that is. You will have thirteen hours to traverse the Labyrinth and walk through the door of the castle beyond the goblin city. Your prize, should you win, will be Jareth and all of his love."
"And if I lose?"
"I doubt that you will lose but if you do then you will return here on your own and Jareth ."
"Yes?"
"Jareth will stay in the oubliette until he is forgotten."
She looked at his face; there was nothing but sincerity there. How could they think that they could just leave him there and forget about him. She had to do it, not only because she loved him but also because she couldn't allow these bastards to keep him from what he did best, playing the villain to a wisher's hero. "Well, I suppose, we better get started then. The sooner I get through this maze again, the sooner Jareth can get out of that whole."
"I knew that you and your heart would not allow him to rot in that cell. Please follow me Sarah. I will take you to the beginning."