...Though We're Strangers Till Now
by Jacqui
Note - All the original characters do NOT belong to me, although the rest of them do. Last names of those characters who didn't or don't have them are entirely fictional. This is my first attempt at Labyrinth fanfiction, so reviews would be really nice and appreciated. This story is mostly based on the movie, but there's a few elements from the book thrown in here and there. I read Labyrinth analyses, various fanfiction, and also came up with my own conclusions and ideas. So, this entire story will entail all three of those sources of information. It may be weird, it may be good, either way, as I mentioned before...feedback is always appreciated and adored. :) Oh yeah, Jim Henson, Brian Froud, and everyone who had a hand in creating this movie are geniuses.
Chapter 8: Phaedra's Plan and Double Seduction
As Phaedra stepped outside of her room, she released a blood curdling scream. Jareth jumped in surprise as he saw her dash into the antechamber, her mother not too far behind and beating her savagely with a broom.
"Jareth!" she screamed as she collapsed into his arms. "She is trying to kill me!"
"You are damn right, you wench! No daughter of mine is going to submit to someone like him!" her mother screamed back, pointing a finger at Jareth.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Jareth said as loudly as he could, shielding Phaedra from her mother.
"This ungrateful excuse for a daughter of mine has just told me that she plans to run away with you!" her mother said again, trembling as if in extreme anger. "I have no obligation to your will, Jareth, and neither does my daughter! We are from different kingdoms, I will not allow her to throw her life away!" Jareth looked back at Phaedra, still keeping himself between the two women.
"Is this true, Phaedra?" he said quickly, his eyes locked on her terrified expression as she nodded slowly. Tears streaked her face, and she mentally praised herself for being such a talented actress.
"What do you mean to do with her if she goes against your wishes and decides to carry through with her plan?" Jareth asked, turning toward the other woman.
"I will disown her. She will be cast out of this house and she will no longer be known as my daughter, I am sure her father will not object to that idea either!" The woman raised the broom above her head, ready to fight him just to get to Phaedra.
"I hope you know that you are still under the order of my father, and he could have you imprisoned for these actions, madam," Jareth said, not letting his guard down for a moment. Phaedra snickered lightly to herself, faintly signaling her mother to submit to him.
"I...he would not dare," the woman tested, her eyes slanting inward in anger.
"Never question the authority of King Braedon," Jareth threatened, stepping up to the woman and grabbing the broom from her, only to throw it to the floor.
"You are not worth my time," the woman said through clenched teeth, "and neither is she! Just take her and get out." Phaedra walked up behind him and slipped her arm around his, trembling and sobbing as she pressed her face into the back of his shoulder. Jareth spoke once more to the old woman, his face showing nothing but irate disgust.
"Consider yourself lucky that I am going to forget about this. One word to my father and he could have your life for it."
"Do not patronize her, Jareth, she is not going to listen..." Phaedra whispered, bringing her head up to smile successfully toward her mother behind Jareth's back. As Jareth turned from the woman, she blew a kiss to her daughter as if wishing her good luck.
"Come, Phaedra, we are leaving." Jareth turned on his heels, and led her from the room. Where was she going to stay? She couldn't stay at his castle, at least not yet. Sarah was there, and the moment they laid eyes on one another Jareth knew there would be a fight. No, she would stay with his parents, at least until tomorrow. That way, he would still have time to explain everything to Sarah. As they left for his parents' castle, Jareth only hoped that Sarah would not take anything the wrong way and that she would understand.
When Jareth had arrived, he made it just in time for his dinner date with Sarah. Phaedra had incessantly kept his parents swept up in a whirlwind of conversation filled with questions that were mixed with apologies and thanks. It was only when she had excused herself to go freshen up that Jareth finally had the chance to explain himself and hurry back. It was nearly 8 o'clock when he found himself standing outside her door. He listened intently as he heard clanking and sounds of quick and muffled movement from behind the door. He shook his head, laughing to himself. Then, he raised his hand and knocked, calling to her from behind the thick wooden door.
"Sarah?"
"Yes! Just a second!" she called back. Jareth heard some more scuffling around from behind the door as he waited. Suddenly, it became quiet. Then, the door flew open and Sarah stood before him. Jareth just stared at her, as if he couldn't believe what he saw.
She was amazingly breathtaking. She wore a long, satin dress that fit her form, but flared out at mid thigh. The dress was a richly deep red. It gleamed in the light set off by the candles adoring the walls. The sleeves of the dress cut across at mid shoulder and slipped into a V at the neckline. Of course, she made sure that her breasts were prominently shown just enough to tease, but not too much to be considered a slut. Her shoes were of the same material, and they had a structure that resembled that of high heels. She wore matching elbow-length gloves, made of the same fabric as her dress. Her hair spilled about her shoulders and down her back in loose curls. Tiny crystal earrings dangled from her ears, sparkling brightly. She intended to go all out if she planned to seduce him and get him back. Even if he was just trying to prove a point, she was hell bent on proving her own point. She had kept it a secret as to having Helori secretly help her attain everything she was to wear that night. If Jareth found out she had skipped out on her kitchen duties, he would be beyond angry with the both of them.
"You are intimidatingly beautiful, Sarah," Jareth gasped, his eyes wide with surprise. "How did you manage all of this?"
"It isn't proper to ask a lady what her beauty secrets are," Sarah scolded playfully. Jareth inclined his head, pardoning himself, and offered her his arm. He didn't want to waste anymore time talking. But he had remembered her as such a passionate girl, which made him wonder just how far she would go with a simple friendly relationship. He remembered the illusion he set forth to her, all to well. He had successfully seduced her then, even if it was just a dream. Why couldn't he do it again? Now that their relationship had taken a different turn, he wanted to know just how far she would let their 'friendly' relationship go. They had teased and carefully played with one another mentally with words or gestures, but this new idea was simply too tempting for him to resist. As she slipped her arm through his, he chuckled lightly to himself as he realized how much fun he was going to have with her tonight.
Jareth had led Sarah into another gigantic room which looked different from the other rooms in his castle. The floor was smoother, like some sort of wood, very different from that of his other concrete floorings. The walls and windows were decorated with dark blue and black tapestries that complemented each other. Two chandelier-like candelabras hung from the ceiling, Sarah guessed they held about 20 candles each, which gave the room a spectacular amount of light. She rolled her eyes sarcastically when she noticed that this room, like most of the others, did not furnish a clock. Sarah looked over her shoulder as she stopped her examination. She saw Jareth directly behind her, grinning slightly. She slowly turned to face him, wondering why he looked like that.
"Shall we begin, Sarah?" he asked, his voice deeper than usual.
"There's no music, Jareth," Sarah replied softly, waving her hands around her as if to point out that there was indeed a lack of music.
"Who said we can not make our own?" he whispered gently as he leaned in toward her, sliding his hand around her waist. Sarah listened for a moment, then shook her head.
"Well where is it?" she asked sweetly. Jareth knew this procedure all too well, but he refused to let her get the upper hand. He chuckled softly, placing his hand up to her lips, immediately silencing her from saying another word. His gloves were still on, and the softness of the fabric on her lips sent shivers up her spine.
"When we begin, so shall the music," he finished, grasping her other hand with his. They slowly began to move and just as Jareth had said before, Sarah began to hear music. Something was strange about it. It didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction, but from them. She had heard the expression 'let's make beautiful music together' but this moment put those words to shame. The music was incredibly soothing and it relaxed Sarah quite a bit, she was so tense before.
As Jareth circled the dance floor with her several times, she began to wonder why she had hated him so much. Was it because of Toby? Well she had defeated him and Toby was returned. Was it for all the callus things he did to her while she was in the Labyrinth? No, she had made it through regardless of what he did to keep her from reaching her destination. She couldn't remember why she had hated him, but at that moment, she wanted to forget about everything. She had gone through a lot in the past few days, especially having to cope with being unable to return to her own home.
Not to mention, she had to deal with being labeled as Jareth's personal servant. But as she looked into his eyes, they seemed to shine with a sudden passion. She blushed, looking away from him as the continued to dance. Jareth found that this was the perfect time to work his spell, although it was different than before. He cast it to only last for a certain duration, and then it would be broken. 13 O'clock to be precise, then the spell would end. Jareth twirled Sarah to his right, then he pulled her to him so that her back rested against his chest.
"What are you doing, Jareth?" Sarah asked in sheer innocence, turning her head to look up at him.
"What do you want me to do, Sarah?" Jareth whispered softly. His hands weaved around her from behind and came to a rest against her stomach.
"Why don't you read my mind?" Sarah whispered lightly. Suddenly, Jareth spun her around to face him. Sarah's mind was letting Jareth's words fill her with temptation, although she still had a little control over her own actions. But, somehow, her mind wouldn't let her know why she suddenly wanted to give in to his bewitching aura. She jumped when she felt his hand touch the side of her face.
"Do you want me to do this?" He trailed a finger from her cheek to her throat, then back up to lightly brush over her lips. Sarah just stared up at him, her eyes locked on his as if she couldn't control them. When her eyes finally fell away from him, he grinned slowly, she was trying to fight him. She could feel his hand reach around her waist once more and grip her tightly as his other hand moved down to cup her chin and bring her eyes back to his. "Or this..." he whispered slowly, leaning down as if to kiss her. Their lips were less than a second from touching before he stopped. He could feel her heart pounding relentlessly. Sarah as well, felt his heart beating fiercely. She decided to act fast before he tried to play any more seducing mind games with her.
Sarah slipped her hands around his neck and pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened, then closed as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue past her lips to gently play with her tongue. He mentally noted that he still had what it took to seduce a woman, as Sarah mentally noted that she was capable of seducing a man. Suddenly, Sarah's body twitched, but she didn't pull away from him. Jareth knew with her sudden movement that his spell had ended, but why wasn't she fighting him or pushing him away? He abruptly broke the kiss. When he did, Sarah simply looked at him as if she had never seen him before.
"Why did you stop?" She whispered, as he felt her hands slowly slide away from his neck.
"Air..." Jareth replied, suddenly skeptical about whether or not to confess to her the real reason. Afterward he scolded himself for using such a fake excuse.
"Well...maybe I should..." Sarah said quietly, batting her lashes as she looked away from him. "Maybe I should let you get some air..." She didn't look back up at him, but slowly dropped into a curtsy. Jareth just stood in front of her and watched as she arose and turned to leave. A sly grin cut across his face as his hand shot out and grabbed hers before she had the chance to turn completely around. He heard Sarah gasp at his quick movement as he pulled her back to him.
"I never said you could leave," he said sarcastically. At that, he left no room for her to protest as he hungrily covered her mouth with his. As his tongue ravaged the inside of her mouth, he grasped her waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel how hard he had become as he pressed himself against her stomach. Her arms felt as if they had a mind of their own as they reached up to rest on either side of his face. As much as she didn't want to, she pulled away from him.
"Here?" she whispered in between gasps for breath. Jareth caught on to her hint and gently took her hands into his.
"Hold on," he whispered, closing his eyes to concentrate. Sarah tightened her grip on his hands, and she felt herself becoming lighter and lighter. She closed her eyes tightly, as if expecting pain of some sort. When the shifting sensation was gone, she reopened her eyes. She looked around the room and saw that it had large amounts of black and silver accompanied by many glittering objects. There was a large stone fireplace just to the right of an even bigger canopy bed. Sarah already knew the answer but she asked anyway.
"Is this your room?" she asked as her eyes glided over the black silk sheets and coverings on the bed.
"One of them," he whispered, not letting go of her hands but lacing his fingers between hers. She looked back to him, their eyes meeting once again. Their hands still interlocked, he reached behind her and rested their hands on the small of her back, then gently pulled her closer to him.
"Well? What are you waiting for Your Majesty?" she asked in a soft voice. That said, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers with full force, sliding his tongue into her mouth roughly. Sarah responded with eagerness, trying to break her hands free from his grasp. He let her pull her hands away and she brought them around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. His skin was hot, as was hers.
She slowly let her hands drop down to his vest, quickly unbuttoning it so that she could work on his shirt next. Jareth gently broke the kiss so that she could have better access. She finally had the buttons undone, and with one movement he had his shirt pulled over his head and dropped to the floor. While he had done that, she had already removed her shoes. He then moved his hands to her dress as he helped her slip out of it. She pulled her arms out and slinked the dress slowly down and stepped out of it, quickly pushing it aside with her foot. She felt his hands reach behind her and untie her corset, and before she knew it, he had it off and thrown to the floor as well. Sarah took steps backward and Jareth took steps forward until he had forced her to the edge of the bed. She sat down and he began working on his pants. To her surprise, they slid right off, she thought there was a little more to it. He kicked off his boots and stepped out of the pants, pushing them away to join the rest of their clothing. Jareth noticed that Sarah had kept her arms crossed over her breasts as soon as it completely dawned on her that the corset was no longer there.
"Sarah, put your arms down," he whispered, slowly sliding his gloves from his hands. She realized that hers were still on as well, and she pulled them off gingerly. He grinned so seductively at her that she might have taken her arms away if he had not requested it first. She slowly let her arms down, and looked up at him as if she expected him to ask her to put them back up. When he didn't she blushed. Jareth chuckled as he slipped his fingers under the slim bands of her panties and slid them from her waist. When he had pulled them down to her ankles, she playfully kicked them off. Jareth leaned down and their lips met once again, although not as hard as before. Sarah moved back up on the bed, and Jareth followed, not allowing her to break their kiss.
As they reached the head of the bed, Sarah fell back onto the pillows behind her and she wrapped her arms around Jareth's neck to pull him down with her. The passionate kiss wound down to a gentle teasing as he would lightly kiss her lips, then pull away just as she began to deepen it. She felt his hardness against the inside of her thigh and she gasped, looking up at him. Smiling, he brought his mouth down to her neck, leaving a trail of damp kisses down her throat. Sarah arched into the feel of his mouth on her skin as she silently begged him for more. Jareth brought his mouth back to hers, driving his tongue into her mouth savagely. She felt him slide over onto his left side, but he pushed her back down when she attempted to move with him. As he continued to kiss her with extreme ardor, she felt his hand slide over her right breast. He cupped it gently as his thumb teased the already peaked nipple. Jareth felt her moan as her body arched into his touch once again.
His hand fell from her breast abruptly, he wanted to keep her wanting more. His hand came to a rest on her right side, while he pulled himself back into position on top of her. As his body rested between her thighs, he heard her moan deeply, and her hands grasped his arms tightly. Her breathing quickened as she felt his mouth trailing over her breasts, teasing the skin with his tongue, then his lips. He suddenly moved lower, leaving a wet trail from her breasts to her abdomen. Then he moved his fingertips up and down the sides of her body, causing her to tremble under their feathery movements.
"Jareth..." Sarah gasped, "please..." He looked up momentarily, watching her chest heave up and down with excessive and very heavy breathing. As a precaution, he pulled himself back up so that their eyes met.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, his breathing labored and his voice more husky. Sarah nodded slowly, pulling him down into a gentle kiss. He grinned mentally, knowing that she was ready for him. He lifted his body up slightly, and he motioned for her to wrap her legs around his waist. She did so, and he moved a little lower, then slowly entered her. He immediately deepened their kiss, trying to take her mind off any temporary pain or discomfort she might feel.
Sarah gasped into his mouth as she felt him inside her. He moved slowly at first, then picked up his pace and intensity as his arousal was taking control of him. Sarah's legs tightened around his waist, and her hands clung to the sheets. Jareth noticed that she was beginning to let herself fall into the pain of the moment, rather than the passion. His hands reached out and he hastily twined his fingers through hers, pushing her hands up and down into the pillows.
Eventually, she learned how to move in unison with the quickening thrust of his hips as he brought his mouth down to her neck, kissing her hot skin and teasing it with his teeth. Sarah moaned softly as her pleasure was rising to an achingly intense peak. He became more and more aroused as he felt and heard her soft moans of pleasure and the feel of her velvety walls tightening on him as he moved within her.
With each powerful movement he went deeper, taking Sarah higher and higher with him. He groaned softly as he dropped his head down and ardently touched his lips to hers. She tightened around him once more and he could feel how warm she was, heightening his passion and making him want to continue all night long. Sarah gasped into his mouth again as he reached her pleasure point. He knew she didn't want him to stop as she drove her tongue into his mouth, forcefully mingling his tongue with hers. Her body was already wet with perspiration, and she would occasionally arch into his movements. As she did this, her breasts slid against his chest, causing him to moan with desire.
Sarah's breathing had become more erratic and Jareth knew she was reaching her own apex of ecstasy. He had been there for awhile, he was simply waiting for her to catch up. Sarah's body arched up just once more and she felt as if her body exploded into another world of complete rapture. Her body felt as if it was on fire when she heard Jareth moan as he emptied himself inside her. Then, their bodies tensed with extreme satisfaction.
Sarah let her body relax as Jareth rested his head against her chest, letting go of her hands. Sarah's breathing was still deep, but it was evening out. The two remained as they were for several minutes, letting their minds and bodies catch up to one another. When their breathing became normal again, Jareth slid up to face her. Sarah brought her hand up to lightly run her fingers through his hair. He smiled, looking over her body, then letting his eyes rest on hers.
"I am sorry if you felt any pain," he whispered, lightly caressing her right leg. Sarah softly laughed to herself.
"A woman's first time isn't usually pain-free," she replied. Jareth nodded in agreement, then Sarah turned on her side and moved in closer to him. She reached her other hand out and locked her fingers with his, toying with them. "I guess we're not friends anymore," she said, after a long silence between them.
"Have things changed that much?" Jareth asked, as he turned to look at her. Sarah looked at him as well, a thousand questions shone in her eyes.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything," Jareth answered.
"Now that we've done this...you know..." Sarah waved her hand trying to think of the proper way to word it.
"Become intimate..?" Jareth answered with no thought at all.
"Yes. Now that we've become intimate, does it...change how you feel towards me?" Sarah's eyes became serious, and Jareth knew that she both wanted, and needed an answer.
"If you are talking about love, Sarah..." he hesitated, then continued, "I can honestly say that...after tonight...my feelings for you have become deeper..." He looked away quickly, as if he was troubled in finding a way to explain himself to her. Sarah saw that he was becoming shy with his feelings, as if he had never expressed them before.
"Jareth," Sarah interrupted, pulling her fingers away from his and resting her hand on his chest. "Do you want me to go first?"
"If you wish," he replied, as if it didn't matter to him.
"Okay," as Sarah propped herself up on her elbow, she began to make her confession. "I've only been in love once before, needless to say, it didn't last very long." Her eyes looked from him to her hand occasionally as she spoke. "Being in love to me was incredible, it was the most exciting feeling I had ever experienced." As she made her final declaration, her eyes fixed on him pertinently. "That...is how I feel about you, Jareth."
Her eyes penetrated him with such force, very unlike that of the other women he had been intimate with before. Jareth's eyes glittered with a newfound perception of Sarah. She was so open and willing to admit how she felt, and he thought it strange that it tore him apart to know that she had suffered knowing her first love as a failure. His hand reached up and cupped her chin, and he brought her lips to his in a gentle, but passionate kiss. His body became hot and he was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion as she leaned into the kiss. He had never felt this before, why had this girl brought such new feelings to him? As he slowed the kiss to a stop, he pulled away from her.
"So..." he grinned slightly, keeping his eyes on her, "are you saying that you are in love with me?" Sarah immediately nodded as she replied.
"Yes, Jareth...I am saying that I am in love with you..."
"Well..." he began, but hesitated. He looked at her for what felt like a lifetime to Sarah, his eyes searching hers to make sure that what she had told him was how she really felt. He could hear her heart beating at a steady pace, as if to justify that she was telling him the truth. "I have yet to learn how you have done it, Sarah," he said, reaching toward her hand. His fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her hand up toward his chest. As he placed the palm of her hand directly over his heart, she smiled, feeling it beat at an even pace. She gasped as her eyes went from her hand, to his eyes, which now were now gleaming. It was then, that he chose to finish his confession. "I, too, have fallen in love with you."
"Oh my god," she whispered, her other hand covering her mouth quickly as her entire body began to tremble. Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn't control them or bring herself to wipe them away as they trailed down her cheeks. Jareth pulled her toward him and he embraced her gently.
"Sarah, please do not cry." As he concluded, she didn't listen to him. He held her as she cried, caressing her back softly. When she had finished, she pulled away from him slowly, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I just never thought..." she sniffled, trying to think, but her mind was too foggy with emotion.
"Well you do not have to think about it anymore. We will sleep here tonight," he said quietly, motioning for her to lie down. Sarah nodded, sniffling once more as she reached down and pulled the satiny blankets toward her. Jareth had already settled himself in, and when he looked over at Sarah, she was still sitting up.
"I need something to sleep in," Sarah said. Jareth chuckled, playfully wrapping his arm around her back. He then grabbed her arm with his hand, and she jumped as he pulled her down next to him.
"What you are wearing is fine."
"But I--"
"Shhh," he whispered, and she sighed lightly, smiling to herself as she rolled over and snuggled up next to him. He wrapped one arm around her, and pulled her other hand onto his chest resting his hand on top of hers. Sarah was the first to fall asleep. Jareth watched her as her chest moved with her breathing. Her beautiful brown hair was feathered over the pillows. Shadows danced across her skin in the firelight, and he wondered why no other woman had done this to him. Sarah was still just a child compared to the others, which were so much more experienced than she was. His thoughts drifted and until they hit rock bottom. How were things going to work between them now? How was he going to tell Sarah about his spell? Had she only admitted love for him because of it? Did the spell linger for a longer time than he had planned? He mentally shook himself away from anymore thoughts, he just wanted to forget them for tonight. He turned and gently kissed Sarah's forehead, she snuggled closer and he saw her smile briefly. Within a few moments, Jareth had followed Sarah into a deep sleep.