Chapter Eight

Not knowing what to do, Sarah followed her first impulse. She went to find Jareth. She walked into the throne room, and Jareth glanced at her. Already he could tell something was wrong. He mentally slapped himself for letting her 'friends' into his castle, but he thought it would have made her happy, not upset.

"Bad morning?" he asked as she stood before him.

"No not really," she muttered "I need to ask you something." Jareth sighed, nothing good could come from this, but he was willing to answer her questions the best he could.

"Alright," he said "go on."

"Why haven't you lost your temper with me?" she asked. Jareth laughed, this only made Sarah feel more uncomfortable.

"Who says I haven't?" he asked.

"I do," she said and he laughed again.

"I can control my temper when I have to," he chuckled "it sounds as if your friends have informed you of my reputation for being strict."

"I think there's a difference between strict and malevolent," she mused.

"For those that are no longer with us," he said, sterner this time "they have done things that are completely forbidden in the Labyrinth."

"And the others?" Sarah asked.

"Too stubborn to beg I suppose," he mused.

"That's terrible," Sarah breathed.

"Well what do you expect?" he asked "I am a man. I have no advisers, no counsel, nor a queen to show compassion to my subjects. I rule the way my father ruled before my mother, and he ruled the way his father ruled without his. That's Underground."

"That's kind of sad," Sarah said quietly.

"What can I say?" he asked "that's how it is here. In your world most people never get to marry true loves. Here, we strive for it."

"How did your father meet your mother then?" Sarah asked.

"He looked for her Aboveground," Jareth started, standing to his feet "he waited thousands of years, until he found a young girl. She was a dreamer, as most young Abovegrounders are. And one day she just wished herself away, out of anger from her older brother who was taking care of her."

"So," Sarah said "he just kept her?" Jareth laughed; there was so much she didn't understand.

"As much as he wanted to," he said sadly "no. In fact, she begged to go home time after time. Soon, it got to my father and he sent her home. It wasn't until she was twenty-two when she called on him again."

"Why'd he let her go home?" Sarah asked "if he was in love with her, wouldn't he go to any means to keep her?"

"Funny thing about us Goblin Kings," Jareth said "as much as we want something, and as hard as we try to get it, we can't bear to lock something up and keep it."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"My father couldn't bear seeing her so unhappy," Jareth explained "he couldn't stand seeing her beg to return, even though he wanted her to stay so badly. So even though it hurt him to, he let her return home."

"I see," she said looking at the floor. It sounded so much like what they both went though, except Sarah would never beg Jareth for anything. Nor would she call on him again... but then, she did didn't she?

"You see," Jareth said looking out the window "the only way for me to keep you is if you decide on your own that you'll stay. I see you've been thinking about it."

"You know I can't stay here Jareth," Sarah whispered.

"And way not?" he asked, turning around "you know as well as I that you don't belong Aboveground."

"I'm not ready;" she said "I'm too young, to unknowledgeable, too-"

"Your scared," Jareth pointed out. He smirked and she sighed.

"I'm not afraid of you," she started but he cut her off.

"I've aware of that," he said "your scared though, of what I do not know. But your scared."

"I just have to go home," she said.

"Alright fine," he muttered and they faded back to Jonathan's room. Sarah spun around, slightly remembering what had happened. "Should you need me," Jareth said putting his hand on her shoulder "for anything at all."

"I'll call," she promised. The look Jareth gave her burnt into the back of her mind, as he faded away, but she didn't have time to feel bad, Jonathan was back over her. Sarah froze, had Jareth put her back into the same predicament he'd saved her from?

Never before had Sarah felt such terror than when Jonathan Richards forced her down on that bed. Even in the most terrifying situations she had always kept calm and was unafraid. This was one of those times. She struggled, but nothing happened. The captain of the football team was not going to be overtaken by a young girl. He quickly pinned her hands to the bed and started unbuttoning her jeans.

Anytime now Jareth she thought. She knew he wouldn't leave her in a situation like this. He was now pulling at her bra. She was starting to get worried. Maybe he would let her get rapped, for hurting him.

You know I wouldn't do that to you, she heard and breathed easy. Without warning, Jonathan Richards flew across the room and bashed his thick football playing head into the wall. Sarah re-buttoned her jeans and put her shirt back on. She walked out of his room, with nothing more than an awful memory.

Sarah walked home in the dark, because she'd drove over with Jonathan and she really didn't think he'd wanna drive her home after getting thrown into a wall. She shivered from the autumn cold but ignored it when she saw the owl. It kept following her from tree to tree and finally Sarah stopped.

Why was he following her? She thought a moment and then it dawned on her.

"Thank you," she yelled and he screeched in agreement. With that, the creature flew off into the night. He just HAD to have a thank you, didn't he? She smiled to herself and started walking again, perhaps she owned him more than just a thank you but she wasn't going to bother with it now. She opened the door to her home and there was Karen, looking very displeased.