Chapter 2
Sarah heard the noise from her bedroom and the hairs on the back of her
neck stood on end. She rose from her kitchen table and very slowly and
quietly, she crept to her bedroom door. She flung the door open and saw a
very surprised Hoggle standing before her.
"Hoggle! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
"His m-m-Majesty sent me here Sarah," Hoggle told her and he saw the anger flash in her eyes. "He did? What does he want?" she demanded of her old friend.
"Jareth doesn't want you to marry the mortal Sarah. He has always hoped that someday you would ask him to bring you back to the Underground,"
"Back to the Underground? To be his slave and let him have dominion over me?" she said incredulously. It was almost laughable to think that after all of these years the Goblin King was still arrogant enough to think that she would return to be his slave.
"Jareth cares for you Sarah. He has loved you and watched over you all of this time," Hoggle stated simply.
Just then, Sarah heard the front door open. "Sarah? Are you home?" Daran yelled. "I'll be out in a minute," she called in response, fervently hoping that Daran would not come into the bedroom. "Go back Hoggle. Tell his Majesty that I want nothing to do with him, his Labyrinth, or the Underground. I'm finished with it all! I want to live my life with the man that I love. I want to be happy Hoggle. Make him understand that." With those words, Sarah left her bedroom to greet her fiancee "Were you talking to someone?" Daran asked as she appeared in the kitchen. "Just talking to myself," she replied and kissed him passionately.
Hoggle watched Sarah shower affection on the mortal that she loved. With a shudder, Hoggle descended to the Underground. He knew Jareth had watched the exchange and Hoggle feared his wrath. Hoggle admitted to himself that he would love to have Sarah at the castle beyond the Goblin City where she would be with him and Ludo and Sir Didymus. But he wished his only friend nothing but happiness and if her happiness required her to live a mortal life, he would accept it. He only wished that Jareth could be that understanding.
*****
"Why didn't you convince her?!" the King of the Goblins demanded the very instant Hoggle reappeared. "I tried your Majesty, but she would not listen," Hoggle answered.
"You could have tried harder!" Jareth cried and kicked a goblin that happened to be in his way all the way across the throne room. After a moment, Jareth regained his composure and said ominously, "Very well. I'll do something myself," and exited the room, leaving Hoggle afraid of what drastic measures Jareth would attempt, only to find himself rejected again.
*****
That evening, Sarah found herself alone in her tiny apartment when Daran had been called away to handle an emergency at work. She flipped through the channels on her small television aimlessly with no real desire to watch any of the programs. After turning the set off, she decided she was hungry and she marched into her kitchen and began rummaging through her cabinets. She opened the refrigerator after finding nothing appetizing in amongst her other groceries and found a beautiful, perfect peach sitting solitary on the top shelf. Despite the warning in her mind and the feeling of revulsion toward the fruit, she could not stop herself from picking it up. She slowly brought the peach to her lips and bit into it's soft, sweet flesh. A strange and familiar taste flooded her mouth and the room began dancing.
Many images flashed before her eyes and familiar words echoed in her ears. She saw herself whirling around inside the crystal with the Goblin King, dancing amongst his masked subjects with that accursed song pouring from Jareth's lips. The music ended with a ghostly echo wafting through the bubble and as Jareth stopped their dance, Sarah noticed that they were alone. Even though they had stopped, Jareth still held her close to him. Sarah's mind was screaming at her to run away, but she found herself locked into her stasis, unable to move. She would not look at him and Jareth gently lifted her chin so that their eyes met. Jareth stared deeply into her eyes, letting all the love and emotion he felt for her flow into his stare. Without thinking, he reached out and tenderly touched her cheek and for a moment, her eyes that had been as hard as agates softened and he felt her defensiveness momentarily crumble.
"This can't be happening," Sarah whispered. "Why do you persist in sending me reminders of things I want to forget?" she demanded, "Why must you force me to remember?"
"So that you will understand that I love you, my little Sarah," he told her softly.
"Please, don't do this Jareth," she requested of him, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't do what, my love?" "Don't tell me these things. I'm going to be married in a few days. Please, just let me be happy," she begged. "I won't let you go Sarah," Jareth said vehemently. Sarah found her ability to move again and she took a few steps away from his Majesty.
"Sarah..." Sarah knew how she could escape this place and very calmly, just as she had done so many years before, she picked up an empty chair.
"Sarah, don't," Jareth called out to her. Not heeding his words, she resolutely smashed the delicate wall of the crystal. Immediately, she felt herself falling through the darkness and the void. She locked eyes with the Goblin King as she saw the dejected look they contained, she felt guilty. She allowed her tears to fall freely as she was returned to the couch in her tiny living room and she rapidly fell into a dreamless slumber.
"His m-m-Majesty sent me here Sarah," Hoggle told her and he saw the anger flash in her eyes. "He did? What does he want?" she demanded of her old friend.
"Jareth doesn't want you to marry the mortal Sarah. He has always hoped that someday you would ask him to bring you back to the Underground,"
"Back to the Underground? To be his slave and let him have dominion over me?" she said incredulously. It was almost laughable to think that after all of these years the Goblin King was still arrogant enough to think that she would return to be his slave.
"Jareth cares for you Sarah. He has loved you and watched over you all of this time," Hoggle stated simply.
Just then, Sarah heard the front door open. "Sarah? Are you home?" Daran yelled. "I'll be out in a minute," she called in response, fervently hoping that Daran would not come into the bedroom. "Go back Hoggle. Tell his Majesty that I want nothing to do with him, his Labyrinth, or the Underground. I'm finished with it all! I want to live my life with the man that I love. I want to be happy Hoggle. Make him understand that." With those words, Sarah left her bedroom to greet her fiancee "Were you talking to someone?" Daran asked as she appeared in the kitchen. "Just talking to myself," she replied and kissed him passionately.
Hoggle watched Sarah shower affection on the mortal that she loved. With a shudder, Hoggle descended to the Underground. He knew Jareth had watched the exchange and Hoggle feared his wrath. Hoggle admitted to himself that he would love to have Sarah at the castle beyond the Goblin City where she would be with him and Ludo and Sir Didymus. But he wished his only friend nothing but happiness and if her happiness required her to live a mortal life, he would accept it. He only wished that Jareth could be that understanding.
*****
"Why didn't you convince her?!" the King of the Goblins demanded the very instant Hoggle reappeared. "I tried your Majesty, but she would not listen," Hoggle answered.
"You could have tried harder!" Jareth cried and kicked a goblin that happened to be in his way all the way across the throne room. After a moment, Jareth regained his composure and said ominously, "Very well. I'll do something myself," and exited the room, leaving Hoggle afraid of what drastic measures Jareth would attempt, only to find himself rejected again.
*****
That evening, Sarah found herself alone in her tiny apartment when Daran had been called away to handle an emergency at work. She flipped through the channels on her small television aimlessly with no real desire to watch any of the programs. After turning the set off, she decided she was hungry and she marched into her kitchen and began rummaging through her cabinets. She opened the refrigerator after finding nothing appetizing in amongst her other groceries and found a beautiful, perfect peach sitting solitary on the top shelf. Despite the warning in her mind and the feeling of revulsion toward the fruit, she could not stop herself from picking it up. She slowly brought the peach to her lips and bit into it's soft, sweet flesh. A strange and familiar taste flooded her mouth and the room began dancing.
Many images flashed before her eyes and familiar words echoed in her ears. She saw herself whirling around inside the crystal with the Goblin King, dancing amongst his masked subjects with that accursed song pouring from Jareth's lips. The music ended with a ghostly echo wafting through the bubble and as Jareth stopped their dance, Sarah noticed that they were alone. Even though they had stopped, Jareth still held her close to him. Sarah's mind was screaming at her to run away, but she found herself locked into her stasis, unable to move. She would not look at him and Jareth gently lifted her chin so that their eyes met. Jareth stared deeply into her eyes, letting all the love and emotion he felt for her flow into his stare. Without thinking, he reached out and tenderly touched her cheek and for a moment, her eyes that had been as hard as agates softened and he felt her defensiveness momentarily crumble.
"This can't be happening," Sarah whispered. "Why do you persist in sending me reminders of things I want to forget?" she demanded, "Why must you force me to remember?"
"So that you will understand that I love you, my little Sarah," he told her softly.
"Please, don't do this Jareth," she requested of him, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't do what, my love?" "Don't tell me these things. I'm going to be married in a few days. Please, just let me be happy," she begged. "I won't let you go Sarah," Jareth said vehemently. Sarah found her ability to move again and she took a few steps away from his Majesty.
"Sarah..." Sarah knew how she could escape this place and very calmly, just as she had done so many years before, she picked up an empty chair.
"Sarah, don't," Jareth called out to her. Not heeding his words, she resolutely smashed the delicate wall of the crystal. Immediately, she felt herself falling through the darkness and the void. She locked eyes with the Goblin King as she saw the dejected look they contained, she felt guilty. She allowed her tears to fall freely as she was returned to the couch in her tiny living room and she rapidly fell into a dreamless slumber.
