She wasn't sure if he had heard her, he had closed his eyes, and seemed to be concentrating on his breathing, she noticed it had gotten heavier, strained. She was about to ask again, when his eyes snapped open, and they fixed themselves on her, burning brilliantly with their dying light.
"I have come," He announced as if addressing the royal court ," to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness of crimes I am guilty of committing against you when you entered my Labyrinth."
"Crimes?" Sarah asked raising an eyebrow, unsure of what he meant, she searched his face, but nothing was reviled to her there.
"Yes, Crimes!" he reiterated "Crimes of cheating and of offering you your dreams. Yet more horrendous than the others, the horrible offer of false love, just to win, just to say I had bested you, just to increase my ego. I love trickery Sarah, trickery in games mind you for I am of that nature, it runs in the blood of my people. But what I did, what I offered you was cruel, and for this I ask for forgiveness before I die." With that he fell silent. Sarah was shocked with his words, but she didn't respond right away, instead she took time to reflect back on everything that had happened to her in the Labyrinth, and the words that had been exchanged there.
After a few moments she spoke. "I never loved you Jareth, at least never in that way."
"As I never loved you." He said, his voice was kind, "I love your spirit Sarah, but I was never IN love with you."
Sarah nodded, happy they were both clear on that area, "You were everything I asked you to be, the dashing, attractive... evil Goblin King. Had I been in your position I would have played the cards the exact same way. I was on your turf, Jareth, you got to set the rules, and if I remember correctly I didn't ask for any rules, and you didn't give me any. All you said was that I had thirteen hours in which to run the Labyrinth, to reach the castle, and that wasn't really a rule, now was it?? More like information, besides..." she was cut short.
"But your dreams Sarah! I offered you your dreams...I would have hated you, had you offered me mine!" he spat accusingly.
"I did hate you, for a while." she admitted, "I was angry, because I did what I knew what was right, saving Toby and all. But I hated even more how I had wanted to accept your offers, it's not everyday your dreams are set out before you, like a peach ready to be plucked. I knew I would be happy for awhile, but in then end the guilt of abandoning Toby would have eaten away at me like a worm eating fruit. So really Jareth, I cannot forgive you, instead I should be thanking you, because you made me realize what was really important to me." The instant she was finished, she could see the anger flare up in Jareth. He was angry, and had he had any magic, he would have made the winds howl and thunder strike. She was denying him the only thing he had ever craved.
"But I offered false love..." he whispered. Sarah just shook her head. "You would deny a dying man his last wish?" he roared, standing up sharply, only to lose his balance as the glider swing surged forward. Sarah stood and steadied the swing, grasping Jareth with one hand to steady him.
"Yes, I would deny you your wish, because there is no need for it. You do not need to feel bad about anything you've done." She looked him in the eye, and smiled grimly to herself.