Skipped the Lady to the Master's Gate
Written by A Lady Grinning
Chapter 1
The state that Sarah was in was beyond confusion.
She desperately repeated, "You--you have no power over me!'
The Goblin King cocked his head, crossed his arms, and sneered, "Come now, Sarah; you and I both know how untrue that is."
Sarah shook her head. "I've won! I've beaten you! H-haven't I . . . ?"
Her opponent clicked his tongue. "Sarah! You're an actress! You must understand the importance of subtext."
When Sarah looked even more helpless, Jareth defined for her, "Having a meaning underlying your lines. Sarah, I'm sorry to say that there was none in your most recent recitation."
"But--but that's not fair!" Sarah sputtered.
The King chuckled. "No, Sarah--that's not what made you lose. You lost because you lied when you said your lines. Yes, you did build up your little 'kingdom' as time progressed in my Labyrinth, and I cannot deny that our wills are equal in strength, but where power is concerned? Sarah, you know better than I of how willingly you will obey my every command."
Sarah's eyes flooded with tears as she dropped to the floor; she had no appropriate reply.
"And it is in this light," Jareth continued, straightening a glove, "That you will progress to the next level of this Labyrinth of yours. One change in the rules, however, is that the Labyrinth will no longer be tangible. Another is that now that you have come to the Castle, you will not be allowed to leave its premises until you have truly solved the maze."
Sarah's head shot up. "But what about Toby?"
Jareth laughed with sheer amusement. "Oh dear! I had forgotten the dear child. Sarah, the entire idea that the intent of your trek was to save your brother was yours. I simply created the rest of all this," he said, motioning to their surroundings. "by taking note of your interests. Your desires. It was browsing through these that allowed me to decide what fantasy to place you in after you would consume my gift."
Sarah was baffled. "What?"
Jareth sighed. "To answer your question, love: your brother is safe in his own bed."
"Good," Sarah replied. "But what were you just saying? About the . . . the peach?"
Jareth paused a moment, smiled to himself, then replied, "Sarah . . . I believe that you were told earlier this evening that things are not always what they seem in this place, and that you can't take anything for granted? Indeed, Sarah, the worm was entirely correct. But to such an acute degree, that I cannot be certain that you will understand the true meaning . . ."
Sarah glared at him. "I am not a child."
Jareth smirked. "Aren't you, Sarah?"
A chill ran down the girl's spine.
Jareth knelt down and pulled Sarah up so she might stand.
"My kingdom, and all its inhabitants, are the stuff of dreams. There are goblins there, to be certain, and I am indubitably their king, but the title 'King of the Goblins' is really an extreme understatement."
Jareth had to tighten her grip to ensure that Sarah would not fall over.
She faintly said, "Then . . . who are you?"
Jareth laughed and cheerfully exclaimed. "How rude of me! To have known you for all of thirteen hours, yet neglected to introduce myself! Really!"
He bent to kiss her hand. As he did, Sarah noticed that they were no longer floating on the debris of what was once a room styled after Escher's "Relativity." They were once again in the ballroom, in the same attire they'd been in only hours before.
The king rose again, and said, "I am Jareth, the King of Dreams."
Written by A Lady Grinning
Chapter 1
The state that Sarah was in was beyond confusion.
She desperately repeated, "You--you have no power over me!'
The Goblin King cocked his head, crossed his arms, and sneered, "Come now, Sarah; you and I both know how untrue that is."
Sarah shook her head. "I've won! I've beaten you! H-haven't I . . . ?"
Her opponent clicked his tongue. "Sarah! You're an actress! You must understand the importance of subtext."
When Sarah looked even more helpless, Jareth defined for her, "Having a meaning underlying your lines. Sarah, I'm sorry to say that there was none in your most recent recitation."
"But--but that's not fair!" Sarah sputtered.
The King chuckled. "No, Sarah--that's not what made you lose. You lost because you lied when you said your lines. Yes, you did build up your little 'kingdom' as time progressed in my Labyrinth, and I cannot deny that our wills are equal in strength, but where power is concerned? Sarah, you know better than I of how willingly you will obey my every command."
Sarah's eyes flooded with tears as she dropped to the floor; she had no appropriate reply.
"And it is in this light," Jareth continued, straightening a glove, "That you will progress to the next level of this Labyrinth of yours. One change in the rules, however, is that the Labyrinth will no longer be tangible. Another is that now that you have come to the Castle, you will not be allowed to leave its premises until you have truly solved the maze."
Sarah's head shot up. "But what about Toby?"
Jareth laughed with sheer amusement. "Oh dear! I had forgotten the dear child. Sarah, the entire idea that the intent of your trek was to save your brother was yours. I simply created the rest of all this," he said, motioning to their surroundings. "by taking note of your interests. Your desires. It was browsing through these that allowed me to decide what fantasy to place you in after you would consume my gift."
Sarah was baffled. "What?"
Jareth sighed. "To answer your question, love: your brother is safe in his own bed."
"Good," Sarah replied. "But what were you just saying? About the . . . the peach?"
Jareth paused a moment, smiled to himself, then replied, "Sarah . . . I believe that you were told earlier this evening that things are not always what they seem in this place, and that you can't take anything for granted? Indeed, Sarah, the worm was entirely correct. But to such an acute degree, that I cannot be certain that you will understand the true meaning . . ."
Sarah glared at him. "I am not a child."
Jareth smirked. "Aren't you, Sarah?"
A chill ran down the girl's spine.
Jareth knelt down and pulled Sarah up so she might stand.
"My kingdom, and all its inhabitants, are the stuff of dreams. There are goblins there, to be certain, and I am indubitably their king, but the title 'King of the Goblins' is really an extreme understatement."
Jareth had to tighten her grip to ensure that Sarah would not fall over.
She faintly said, "Then . . . who are you?"
Jareth laughed and cheerfully exclaimed. "How rude of me! To have known you for all of thirteen hours, yet neglected to introduce myself! Really!"
He bent to kiss her hand. As he did, Sarah noticed that they were no longer floating on the debris of what was once a room styled after Escher's "Relativity." They were once again in the ballroom, in the same attire they'd been in only hours before.
The king rose again, and said, "I am Jareth, the King of Dreams."