A/N: Thank you for the beautiful reviews. Velf, you made me cry, thank you for the praise. I'm sorry to have left it the way I did. I was contemplating that being the end, but then Jareth reminded me he had never gotten a chance to explain, so I wrote this one just for him. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Sarah opened her eyes and looked around. She didn't know where she had expected to be when she woke up, but this was certainly not it. She found herself standing in a shimmering room decorated with crystal and gauzy ribbons. There were tables and chairs all around her, all empty. With a start she realized she was in Jareth's ballroom, the one from her fantasy so long ago. But there were no masked dancers floating around her here, no swirling couples for her to weave her way through. Sarah was completely alone. She looked down at her clothing, expecting to see the light blue gown with puffy sleeves that she had worn the last time she was here. Instead, she was wearing a long white strapless gown that was sheer and silky and would have billowed about her had there been a breeze. It was, she realized, one of the dresses she had worn as 'Sandy' in her college Theatre group's rendition of "Grease."
I'm dreaming, she thought, this has got to be a dream.
As if summoned by this thought, HE entered the room. The Goblin King stepped from behind a pillar and stood before her, hands clasped behind his back, feet slightly apart, as if giving her a chance to decide if he was real or not before approaching. She observed that he was also not wearing his attire from their last meeting in this place. Instead, he was dressed in simple black tights with a loose white tunic, leather belt around his waste, black gloves that flared at the elbow, and knee high black boots. Even in such relatively mundane clothing, he was still a sight to behold. She smiled and he seemed to take this as a sign that it was okay to approach.
He held his arm out towards her as she had seen gentlemen do in old movies. Warily, she took it and he silently led her toward a balcony she hadn't remembered seeing before. As they stepped out into the night air, she stole a glance over the railing. Her heart stopped. There was nothing but stars! There was no land anywhere, only the night sky! It was as if they were perched on the very end of the world. She looked up at him terrified, but he smiled gently down at her and there was something in his eyes that was calming. He beckoned for her to sit on a marble bench that sat against the railing. She did, and he joined her. His mouth opened, he hesitated, and it closed again. He looked at his feet, clearly gathering his thoughts, and tried again, with no more luck than he had last time
Sarah chuckled. Clearly he had something important to say and didn't know how to say it. She thought she would make it easy on him and go first. "Jareth, where are we?" she asked.
He gestured about him "This is the world between worlds" he said cryptically. Sarah nodded as though she knew exactly what he was talking about and then asked "And where is that, exactly."
Jareth sighed, looking at his boots again. Whatever it was he had to tell her, he was not very happy about it. Finally he looked back up at her, took one hand in his. "It's a staging ground, Sarah. It's a place where souls go to wait while the body lingers between life and death."
Sarah let those words sink in for a moment, and then she nodded. "And why am I here?" she asked, though she thought she knew the answer.
Jareth tightened his grip on her hand and looked at her sadly. Were those tears she saw in the great Goblin King's eyes? The look on his face right now, she had seen it before. It was the same look of utter dejection he had worn after she had defeated the Labyrinth, when she had rejected his offer and said the words that would send her back home. It made her heart ache, just as it had then though she never would have admitted it, to be the cause of such pain.
"Sarah," he began, "Sarah, you were injured. Before your father was called away to my kingdom, he fired the weapon he was holding. You were gravely wounded…"
Sarah blanched. She didn't remember it, but it made perfect sense. She recalled the blood on his tunic, and now she understood it had been hers. "Jareth, are you telling me I'm dying? That I'm not really here, but laying somewhere bleeding to death?" Tears began to well in her eyes. Not now! She wasn't ready to go yet! There were so many things she wanted to do! She tried to keep her composure, but couldn't stop the tears that were now rolling freely down her cheeks.
"You're both, Sarah." He answered, stretching out a gloved finger to wipe the tears from her face. "The inner light that makes you who you are, you're essence, is here in this room with me. You're body is in my castle. I've placed the strongest healing spells on you that I can, and every healer in my kingdom is working to reverse the damage. Even your step mother is at your side, doing what she can. But in the end, the damage may be too great. We may not be able to save you.
Sarah let these words sink in before asking the next question. "If this is my after life, how can you be here?"
Jareth leaned against the balcony railing and continued. "This isn't the afterlife yet. As I said, it is a staging ground. Just as I could speak to you in your mind, even project my presence to you when you needed it, I can follow you this far. However, once you cross into the after life, you will be beyond even my reach. That is why I'm here. There are things I wish to tell you, things you need to know, and this may be our only chance."
Sarah nodded slowly, taking it all in. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Okay then," she said, "Tell me." Jareth shifted, trying to make himself comfortable for there was indeed much to tell. "Very well then. I'll try to get through this all at once, but I understand you will have questions, so feel free to ask them." Apparently deciding that there was no comfortable position in which to sit, Jareth stood and began to pace in front of her. That, coupled with the words he had just spoken, reminded Sarah of her college professors. Her amused smile did not go unnoticed by the Goblin King, but he continued as though it had.
"Let's start with what you know of me." he began, "My name is Jareth, I am the Goblin King. This is most likely where your knowledge ends. You may also say that I steal children, although that is not correct. I take children who have been wished away. There is a difference. Although I was born, and could die given the right circumstances, I am an immortal being. There is no name for beings such as myself. Demigod, perhaps, or Seraphim would be close, although I'm a creature of flesh and blood, like yourself. Long ago my kind were split into kingdoms, to rule the realms of magic and lore. There are many dimensions, Sarah, all connected. Almost every myth or legend you have ever heard has some basis in reality. Your world is part of that connection, although its connection has been weakened. The being like myself that ruled your world chose to pass on to the afterlife thousands of years ago, leaving no heir behind. As a result, magic has all but left your world and you would be defenseless if not for those of us who look after it when we can. You see, we felt sorry for your kind, left alone with no king, so some of us took on specific roles, so that you wouldn't have to fend completely for yourselves. The role I chose is as a protector of children.
Jareth paused to allow Sarah time to process this information, and to allow her to ask questions if she had them. Sarah for her part was having a bit of difficulty. Her entire world view had changed in a matter of seconds. She did indeed have many questions, but hardly knew where to start. So instead she beckoned for Jareth to continue.
"In my role, I watch over the children of your realm. I can't be everywhere at once, but I try to help as many as I can. There are rules; I cannot intervene in your world unless I am summoned. This holds true for all of my kind. So when I see a child in a particularly bad situation, I try to plant the idea in someone to summon me. Hundreds of years ago the words were common knowledge, but as the magic of your world wanes, so does the belief in it, and sometimes craftier measures are needed. Once a child is wished away, the person who has done the wishing is given the opportunity to take them back."
"You make them run the labyrinth." Sarah interrupted.
Jareth stopped his pacing and smiled at her. "Rarely," he corrected, "Usually this is not needed, for I can tell the person really didn't mean to wish the child away. In those instances, the child is returned, and neither of them remembers a thing."
"But that's not true!" Sarah said, indignant, "I never meant to wish Toby away, It just happened. You still made me run the labyrinth!"
Jareth nodded, "This is true, but I had my reasons, which I will come to in time. Far too often, no one attempts to reclaim the child. Usually, these children are given to humans or dwarves in my realm to raise, and everyone lives happily ever after, so to speak." Jareth grinned at Sarah, but she waived him on impatiently, so he continued. "In some cases, though, the child has been so abused in one way or another that they are broken inside and cannot be mended. These are the children that are turned into goblins."
Sarah's hand went to her mouth and she gasped, "Oh how horrible!"
Jareth wheeled around and fixed his gaze on her "Is it? Consider the alternative! What becomes of children like that in your world? What pleasures does life hold for them, hmm? Is it not better to become a creature of whimsy, for that is truly what goblins are. I have never seen a Goblin cry, Sarah. Would you deny them that small bit of happiness?"
Sarah had to admit that he was probably right. It seemed terrible, but really, what was the alternative? "I'm sorry, Jareth, I see your point," she conceded. "Please, go on."
Jareth's gaze softened once again. "I know how it must seem to you, Sarah, you're heart is so kind. It hurts me too, when I have to do it. It hurts me all the way to my soul, but it really is the most merciful thing. When I think of the things some of those children have gone through, the torture, the disgusting vile acts, many times caused by their own parents…."
Jareth's eyes were closed and his fists were clenched as he tried to regain his composure. She could see how angry he was at the thought of the pain he had witnessed. How could she have ever though this man evil? She still didn't understand everything, but she had heard enough to know that her world was lucky to have him. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers. This time it was her turn to comfort him. He relaxed his fist and opened his eyes to look at her. His heart ached knowing that this beautiful and gentle creature may soon pass from the world.
"Then there was you, Sarah," he said softly. "I tried to intervene for you when you were very small. I left the red book where your mother would find it, hoping that she would use it to summon me. She never did though. She knew exactly what was happening to you, but instead of doing anything about it, she left you there, to face it alone. She was weak, Sarah. I hope you never spend another day grieving for her loss." He stopped here, waiting for some sign from Sarah that she needed time to deal with this. Her face was a mask, and he continued. "She left the book, which you found. I continued to watch over you, powerless to help you but unable to look away. Of all the children I've seen, you were special. You had a fire and determination, an inner strength I've not seen in many humans, especially in one so young. I knew that if I could only get you to see it and to use it, you would be all right. Then one night, you said the words! You used the book to summon me. This was my chance. I never had any intention of keeping your brother unless you wished it. Toby was never in any danger, either from myself or your father. But I knew I had to challenge you, I had to make you see how strong you were, that you were capable standing up to your father and didn't have to be afraid of him."
"So you made me run the labyrinth." Sarah finished.
Jareth smiled sadly. "Yes. Only that wasn't enough. You needed a villain to defeat. I became that villain for you. As I told you then, I was everything you wished me to be, and thankfully, it worked. You stood up to your father that very night."
Sarah nodded. She remembered it all too well. "It was you there that night, helping me." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. Once you had beaten the labyrinth, you became linked to my realm. I still couldn't manifest physically without being summoned, but I could contact your mind, as long as you held it open for me. And you always did."
"One thing I don't understand," Sarah asked, "At the end, before you sent us back to our world, you offered me my dreams if I would stay there with you. You seemed so sad when I refused. Why was that, if it was all for show? And why have you been there ever since?" She thought she knew the answer, thought she saw it in his eyes even now, but she wanted to hear the words.
Jareth sighed and turned away from her. He placed his hands on the balcony and looked out into the nothing beyond. He had not yet decided if he wanted to share this much with her. If she was to pass from this world, perhaps it was best to let his feelings pass with her, unspoken. But of course, being who she was, she had cut straight to the heart of things. "Because I fell in love with you." he said simply. He didn't turn around; he was afraid to see the look on her face. How could she understand his feelings, or be sympathetic when she had so much else to think about? So he was surprised when he felt her light touch on his shoulder. He turned to face her, and saw that she was crying.
"Why didn't you tell me who you were?" she sobbed, "In all these years, why didn't you tell me any of this?"
He deftly removed the glove from his right hand and gently stroked her cheek. "I tried to tell you while you were here," he said, motioning towards the ballroom. "But afterwards, heart, you had made your choice. Who was I to unmake it?" To his amazement she threw her arms around him and held him to her tightly, her tears warm against his neck. He held her in his arms, savoring the feeling of it, knowing it would be all too short lived. She pulled away from him then and looked up into his eyes, those fiery mismatched eyes that held no darkness at all.
"I have one more question." She stated. "Why does the 'world between worlds' look like your ballroom?"
Jareth fought back tears, and when he spoke, it was no more than a hoarse whisper as he choked back a sob. "It's different for everyone," he explained, "but I'm told it always looks like the place you were happiest." He let his the tears flow then, feeling as though his heart was being ripped from his chest. She reached out to him, but noticed that her hand looked strange, almost transparent.
Jareth saw too, and put his arms around her just as she was hit by a nauseating dizzy spell. "What's happening, Jareth?" she asked drowsily. He buried his tear streaked face in her hair as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. "You're leaving this plane." He sobbed.
"Oh." She answered. She seemed detached, as though she were watching the scene from high above. She felt her heart ache for the sadness in his eyes, felt the warmth of him around her. "My knight in shining armor..." she murmured. She was fading, they both knew it. Soon she would be gone. With the last of her strength, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. She could taste the salt of his tears on his lips, making the kiss bitter sweet. To find love, only to lose it!
She felt herself getting weaker, willed herself to speak. "Thank you Jareth, for everything." She said, and after a moment's thought she added, "I love you too." And then she was gone, and Jareth was left holding nothing but empty space and the memory of her last words. As Sarah's 'world between worlds' began to crumble around him, he wept bitterly and alone.
