AN: Reviews rock my socks. Thanks for making me want to continue. It takes effort
because I'm a lazy bum with a hundred other fics going on. I'm trying for you guys,
I really am!
*************************** Take Me Away: Chapter Seven ***************************
"These are my private gardens," he said stiffly.
Sarah turned her face up to the evening sky, warm and full, and smiled as breezes played
with her hair and patted her cheeks. She was still in her infernal pajamas and barefoot
but she stood unmoving next to the resplendent Goblin King, solid and unyielding in her
own way.
Sarah wasn't strong enough to break him; simply strong enough to defy him. It was more
than most.
They were surrounded by what looked like rose bushes, huge ones that reached over ten feet
in glorious height, blooms expanding as the sun crawled to the western horizon in order to
reveal yellow stars at their centers.
They were every color of the rainbow and a hundred in between. The garden smelled like
heaven and winter with Jareth standing next to her, even as he radiated heat. Fountains
ran the gardens' lengths, shooting jets of colored into the air with a chaotic order that
hypnotized the eye.
"Its beautiful," Sarah said softly as she wandered over to a bush and hesitantly reached
out to touch a blossom. "Is it real?"
Jareth's answering smile was cruel. "As real as dreams."
Sarah touched the silken petals. They shattered like glass beneath her touch and she
laughed even as the shards cut her fingers. She went to step back and her bare feet were
sliced by fragments as well.
She looked up to find the Goblin King's gaze settled upon her like a heavy cloak. His
gaze was hooded and speculating. "Are you okay?" he asked and there was danger lurking
for her in the question. Traps were set for her response.
Sarah smiled bravely and stepped over the remaining fragments, leaving blood behind on the
white gravel that made her feet sore. "I'm fine," she said easily with a shrug that belied
the wounds she had just dealt herself.
He stared a heart beat longer and nodded once, fiercely, and Sarah knew she had pleased
him with her answer, even if she didn't quite understand why. They walked together and
the scenery changed around them, beneath them, and in a span of twenty minutes Sarah's
bruised feet had walked on dirt, mud, leaves, sand, water, and granite. It was the
Labyrinth's magic taking them where it willed. She didn't mind, not truly, because
everywhere it took them was breathtaking.
"I never would have left if I knew it was this beautiful," she finally said as they sat
themselves among a sharply cut canyon with sheer walls rising like skyscrapers all around
them. There were large, fantastic statues carved from the rock, into the rock, crawling
out of the rock, both from the ground and the cliff face.
Jareth's steady regard settled upon part of his kingdom. "If I had known all it would have
taken to make you stay was beauty, it would have made both of our lives much simpler."
Sarah chuckled and drew her knees to her chin. They contemplated their thoughts in a
silence that she chose to break. "Jareth, what happened to my friends? Were they
real?"
"As real as dreams."
She glared darkly at him and he surprised them both by laughing loudly. "Yes," he finally
answered, breathless, "well, Ludo is hibernating…"
"Hibernating?" Sarah demanded sourly with raised, disbelieving brows.
Jareth shrugged like liquid. "It's a something his species does. It has life cycles.
The Ludo you saw was barely out of the nest. He'll hibernate for a century and wake five
times as large and much more articulate."
"That's convenient."
"Life being convenient isn't unheard of, you know."
This time it was Sarah who broke into spontaneous laughter. "Okay," she replied, wiping
tears of mirth from her eyes as her feet swung, bare and bruised, from their perch on the
outcropping rock, "what about the others?"
The Goblin King snorted disdainfully. "The ridiculous fox and his trustworthy steed still
guard the Bog. Higgle…"
"Hoggle," Sarah chastened absently and Jareth continued, ignoring her.
"He tends my inner gardens. I would have banished him for aiding you but no one else
quite has his touch with my Forget Me Nots."
"Your Forget Me Nots?" Sarah asked, gentle mocking in his voice. Beside her, Jareth
bristled.
"Do you really think I would have something that wasn't more than what it seems little
Sarah?" he demanded, voice dripping open scorn for her mockery, "Remember the roses?"
"You're being cranky."
"You're being naïve."
This time they laughed together, the sound raw but real.
"Why would you want to punish Hoggle for helping me? Is that against the rules?" Sarah
watched as Jareth's distant gaze settled upon the rim of the canyon. Her eyes sketched
the slop of his nose and the rise of his cheeks. She watched, fascinated, as his lips
curled into an elegant sneer.
Disdain was never so beautiful and unreachable. So unbreakable. So vulnerable.
"You were free to make use of whatever resources you could find. You utilized more than
most. Few contestants ever managed to turn my creatures against me so successfully. I
didn't besmirch you Ludo or the fox, they were at heart the Labyrinth's pawns. She let
them fall to your wiles.
"Hoggle was my lackey for a century. His scorn undermined my authority and that was
unacceptable."
"You were jealous!" Sarah crowed, delighted despite herself.
Jareth chuckled darkly and it sent shivers racing down her spine. "I was surprised.
That is more of a coup than my jealousy. I am a jealous man by nature; that is hardly a
victory."
Sarah swallowed her retort under the cold glare of his mismatched eyes, intimidated
despite herself. She made herself ask the question, though she could have guessed the
answer, "May I see them?"
Jareth rose and held out one gloved hand. She took it gently and carefully jumped down,
wincing as her raw feet hit rock. "Maybe."
"Figures," she grumbled as the Labyrinth's magic continued their private tour of all its
wonders.
because I'm a lazy bum with a hundred other fics going on. I'm trying for you guys,
I really am!
*************************** Take Me Away: Chapter Seven ***************************
"These are my private gardens," he said stiffly.
Sarah turned her face up to the evening sky, warm and full, and smiled as breezes played
with her hair and patted her cheeks. She was still in her infernal pajamas and barefoot
but she stood unmoving next to the resplendent Goblin King, solid and unyielding in her
own way.
Sarah wasn't strong enough to break him; simply strong enough to defy him. It was more
than most.
They were surrounded by what looked like rose bushes, huge ones that reached over ten feet
in glorious height, blooms expanding as the sun crawled to the western horizon in order to
reveal yellow stars at their centers.
They were every color of the rainbow and a hundred in between. The garden smelled like
heaven and winter with Jareth standing next to her, even as he radiated heat. Fountains
ran the gardens' lengths, shooting jets of colored into the air with a chaotic order that
hypnotized the eye.
"Its beautiful," Sarah said softly as she wandered over to a bush and hesitantly reached
out to touch a blossom. "Is it real?"
Jareth's answering smile was cruel. "As real as dreams."
Sarah touched the silken petals. They shattered like glass beneath her touch and she
laughed even as the shards cut her fingers. She went to step back and her bare feet were
sliced by fragments as well.
She looked up to find the Goblin King's gaze settled upon her like a heavy cloak. His
gaze was hooded and speculating. "Are you okay?" he asked and there was danger lurking
for her in the question. Traps were set for her response.
Sarah smiled bravely and stepped over the remaining fragments, leaving blood behind on the
white gravel that made her feet sore. "I'm fine," she said easily with a shrug that belied
the wounds she had just dealt herself.
He stared a heart beat longer and nodded once, fiercely, and Sarah knew she had pleased
him with her answer, even if she didn't quite understand why. They walked together and
the scenery changed around them, beneath them, and in a span of twenty minutes Sarah's
bruised feet had walked on dirt, mud, leaves, sand, water, and granite. It was the
Labyrinth's magic taking them where it willed. She didn't mind, not truly, because
everywhere it took them was breathtaking.
"I never would have left if I knew it was this beautiful," she finally said as they sat
themselves among a sharply cut canyon with sheer walls rising like skyscrapers all around
them. There were large, fantastic statues carved from the rock, into the rock, crawling
out of the rock, both from the ground and the cliff face.
Jareth's steady regard settled upon part of his kingdom. "If I had known all it would have
taken to make you stay was beauty, it would have made both of our lives much simpler."
Sarah chuckled and drew her knees to her chin. They contemplated their thoughts in a
silence that she chose to break. "Jareth, what happened to my friends? Were they
real?"
"As real as dreams."
She glared darkly at him and he surprised them both by laughing loudly. "Yes," he finally
answered, breathless, "well, Ludo is hibernating…"
"Hibernating?" Sarah demanded sourly with raised, disbelieving brows.
Jareth shrugged like liquid. "It's a something his species does. It has life cycles.
The Ludo you saw was barely out of the nest. He'll hibernate for a century and wake five
times as large and much more articulate."
"That's convenient."
"Life being convenient isn't unheard of, you know."
This time it was Sarah who broke into spontaneous laughter. "Okay," she replied, wiping
tears of mirth from her eyes as her feet swung, bare and bruised, from their perch on the
outcropping rock, "what about the others?"
The Goblin King snorted disdainfully. "The ridiculous fox and his trustworthy steed still
guard the Bog. Higgle…"
"Hoggle," Sarah chastened absently and Jareth continued, ignoring her.
"He tends my inner gardens. I would have banished him for aiding you but no one else
quite has his touch with my Forget Me Nots."
"Your Forget Me Nots?" Sarah asked, gentle mocking in his voice. Beside her, Jareth
bristled.
"Do you really think I would have something that wasn't more than what it seems little
Sarah?" he demanded, voice dripping open scorn for her mockery, "Remember the roses?"
"You're being cranky."
"You're being naïve."
This time they laughed together, the sound raw but real.
"Why would you want to punish Hoggle for helping me? Is that against the rules?" Sarah
watched as Jareth's distant gaze settled upon the rim of the canyon. Her eyes sketched
the slop of his nose and the rise of his cheeks. She watched, fascinated, as his lips
curled into an elegant sneer.
Disdain was never so beautiful and unreachable. So unbreakable. So vulnerable.
"You were free to make use of whatever resources you could find. You utilized more than
most. Few contestants ever managed to turn my creatures against me so successfully. I
didn't besmirch you Ludo or the fox, they were at heart the Labyrinth's pawns. She let
them fall to your wiles.
"Hoggle was my lackey for a century. His scorn undermined my authority and that was
unacceptable."
"You were jealous!" Sarah crowed, delighted despite herself.
Jareth chuckled darkly and it sent shivers racing down her spine. "I was surprised.
That is more of a coup than my jealousy. I am a jealous man by nature; that is hardly a
victory."
Sarah swallowed her retort under the cold glare of his mismatched eyes, intimidated
despite herself. She made herself ask the question, though she could have guessed the
answer, "May I see them?"
Jareth rose and held out one gloved hand. She took it gently and carefully jumped down,
wincing as her raw feet hit rock. "Maybe."
"Figures," she grumbled as the Labyrinth's magic continued their private tour of all its
wonders.