Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.
William Goldman
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
Aeschylus
Sorrow is knowledge, those that know the most must mourn the deepest, the tree of knowledge is not the tree of life.
Lord Byron
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When Sarah said, ""He offered me what I've always wanted, love and a life where nothing ever hurts again," both Hoggle and Jareth were stunned speechless for a moment but for vastly different reasons. Hoggle who had been Sarah's friend and talked with her many times about the heartbreak of her growing up years knew this was very important to her. When the dwarf saw the soft look on Sarah's face he jumped in, "Missy, yous know who he is and yous know he's only trying to trick you with his fancy ways and talk."
The Goblin King, on the other hand, had no such insight and responded in the worse possible way, "Oh? Well, I'm glad to see he didn't offer you something important. Besides, if he's offering you his love it's a lie. He couldn't love you, he's incapable of it"
Hoggle slapped his hands to his face; this was going to be ugly.
Sarah's shoulders drew back and her posture straightened as though a rod had been inserted in her spine. Eyes flashing at the Goblin King and with a voice several octaves lower she graveled, "What makes you think that is not important to me? Maybe to the mighty Goblin King who doesn't care what happens to anyone love would not be important, maybe to an ice cube that has no feelings that would not be important, but to a real person with REAL feelings that is VERY important!"
Jareth, who Hoggle thought had a death wish, responded arrogantly, "Now see here..."
Sarah heard that and blazed like a fire out of control shouting, "No..no..no..no..YOU see here! For your information all of my life all I ever wanted was to find some happiness, some joy...instead all I found was pain...MY mother left me...MY father married again....Toby was always wanted and loved...even by me. You don't know what that is like to feel unwanted and unloved...DON'T even try to imagine what is important to me EVER again!" Sarah stormed quickly towards the door, "And as for Sarial, just how would YOU know what he is or is not capable of?" She then she pulled the door open with such force it banged the adjoining wall as she marched out of the room.
After a slight pause the Goblin King turned to Hoggle, "Well? What are you doing standing here? Go calm her down, I can't deal with her when she's all emotional like this." Hoggle started to follow after Sarah when Jareth called from behind him, "Oh, and Hallwat." The dwarf turned and waited. "Make sure she doesn't do anything foolish." Walking away Hoggle grumbled to himself, "He gets her all riled up and nows I gots to try and calm her down."
Jareth had not expected Sarah's outburst and asked himself why would something so simplistic have so much power over her? She could have asked for anything; riches, palaces and dreams but her heart's desire was for love without pain. For the second time in his life he tried to look at something from another's perspective, Sarah's perspective to be exact.
While he craved power she desired something else entirely, something that riches couldn't buy and armies couldn't win. Jareth's superior intellect rapidly analyzed what he knew; her mother left her at a young age, her father remarried and she had a half brother that reminded her of a lost family. While she loved Toby she also resented him enough to wish him away; actually to wish away what he represented - the reality and pain of her shattered life.
On some level Sarah knew Toby wasn't the real problem so she felt guilty for directing her frustration at the innocent babe and that also pained her. Obviously the impact of these rejections and disappointments on Sarah were tremendous enough for Sarial to use those feelings to tempt her. Jareth scoffed at the notion of Sarial offering her any form of love; couldn't the foolish girl see that was impossible for such a creature as he.
Now that Sarah was safe the Goblin King turned his thoughts to what had been offered to him. A gleam came into his eyes as he imagined all worlds cowering before him as he commanded them with the might of a god. Indeed, he would truly be a frightening and most formidable King.
Hoggle knocked on Sarah's chamber door still grumbling to himself, "What does he take me for? One of his goblins to order around? Do this Hagwit, do that Higgle..." His rumblings were interrupted by Sarah's angry voice, "Don't come in here Goblin King or I swear I will jump out the window!" Hoggle shouted, "It's me Missy, lets me talk to yous." The door quietly opened and Sarah ushered him in. As soon as she closed the door she hugged him and started crying uncontrollably, "Oh Hoggle, help me, I feel so very lost."
Sonya wasn't surprised when Sarial appeared, she expected him to crow about his progress and he didn't disappoint her, "It really too bad you couldn't have seen the lust for power on the Goblin King's face...." Of course Sonya had seen it so she wasn't listening, she wanted to know what was he planning for Sarah. She cautioned herself, "Patience, otherwise he won't tell you just out of spite." Playing along she replied with the appropriate amount of awe, "Yes my lord, I'm sure he desires what you have shown him."
Under her veils she silently yawned with boredom waiting for Sarial to tell her what she really wanted to know. She woke back up when she heard, ".....the girl tried to interrupt but I had him in the palm of my hand." Impatiently Sonya asked, "What about the girl?"
Sarial paused for the slightest second before drawling, "Oh I think she doesn't stand a chance against me...champion of the light indeed." At that moment Sonya knew the human meant something to him. This was not good, not good at all. Lightly she inquired, "Did you offer Sarah anything?" Sarial waved his hand dismissively, "But of course. What kind of tempter would I be if I did not?" When he did not volunteer anything further Sonya had to be clever, "I'm sure she wanted it badly....by the way...what did you say you offered her again?"
Sarial recognized manipulation when he saw it and knew a game was afoot. He glanced around the room and spotted a mirror at a strategic position in relation to the veiled hag. Knowing Sonya was spying he casually intoned, "I didn't mention what I offered her but since you are so curious I will tell you. I made her believe I would give her the desire of her heart, a place where nothing ever hurts again." At this Sonya crackled and Sarial joined her with a wicked laugh of his own.
Behind the dragon's laugh, under layers of pride and evil, lay a small place of remembrance. Sarial was not created in darkness but was once a favored son of the living light. An eternal light he could entomb, betray, smother, ignore and disinherit but not completely destroy. It was just a flicker, merely a ghostly echo of all he once was until he held Sarah in his arms. He didn't know if it was her lack of guile or her ability to radiate love that turned the spark inside him into a longing for something he had believed was dead forever.