Accepting Chapter 1

He stood in the shadows. Waiting. Hair a golden halo around his pale, perfect face. He took a moment to admire the girl before him, still oblivious to his presence.

She was turned away from him. Still only clad in a poet shirt and jeans. Her hair was matted and damp with perspiration. Her clothes were tattered and dirty from her journey, and yet her beauty was only magnified. He especially loved the rosy color that had accumulated on her cheeks over the past thirteen hours. She turned towards him.

Her heart jumped. He seemed to materialize from the shadows before her. His white shirt billowed around his lean body. His face seemed paler than before, if it could be any paler. Even though he frightened her, she had to admit (only to herself of course) that he was quite beautiful. He walked towards her.

"Sarah beware, I have been generous up until now, but I can be cruel." He sneered at her.

"Generous! What have you done that was generous…" she began.

"Everything!" he shrieked at her. "You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me, I was frightening. I have re-ordered time. I have turned the world upside-down and I have done it all for you!"

She simply gawked at the man that stood before her. Generous? He stole her brother. He sent his hoards of goblins after her. He threatened her and her new found friends. How is that generous? But on another level she knew that he spoke the truth. She did ask for Toby to be taken. Her own life had become so monotonous. Day after day drifted by, one exactly the same as any other: boring and uneventful. She had longed for a way out, an adventure for so long. Had she not been so worried about the life of her baby brother, she would have enjoyed her trek through the labyrinth.

His hands came up and Sarah instinctively took a step back. In one he held a transparent white crystal, in the other a dark, black crystal. He gestured to the black one.

"Look what I am offering you Sarah, your dreams."

'What is he doing? What does he know about my dreams?'

"I ask for so little." He begged, continuing to hold out the black crystal. "Just fear me, love me, do as I say…and I will be your slave!"

Love him? LOVE HIM? How could she love this man? She couldn't believe it. After everything he had put her through, after everything he had done to her, he actually had the gumption to ask her to love him, stay with him? He terrified her. But what scared her even more were the butterflies that started to dance in her stomach when he had uttered the word love.

She stared up at him. Did she hear him right? Was he really asking her to stay here with him? 'He must be trying to trick me' she thought. And yet there he was with pleading, mismatched eyes, asking, no begging, for her to stay and love him.

He gestured to his other hand. This one held the transparent crystal.

"Or…" he continued, "you can return to your mind-numbing, insignificant life and spend each and every weekend babysitting and playing with your toys, wishing and longing for another adventure to come along."

She was torn. More than anything, she didn't want to return home. No one loved her there. Her stepmother surely didn't. She didn't have any real friends at school. Her father might have loved her once, but now he was too preoccupied with his new family to really care about her. But how could she stay with this man before her that frightened her to her very soul?

"If I took your offer…I'm not saying I am…just if…what would happen to Toby?" she demanded.

"He would be sent back to his parents, safe and still human."

He saw her thinking it over. 'Oh gods, please choose me' he thought. He saw her trembling hand begin to ascend towards his. She was reaching out, but which would she choose? His heart knocked against the ribs in his chest. He closed his eyes, just for a moment. He opened them again just in time to see her slender fingers grasp the black crystal in his quivering hand.

And then the world fell down.

Sarah's heart fluttered as the ground disappeared beneath her feet. The dark crystal that she clasped had disappeared and she reached out for something, anything to hold on to. She grabbed Jareth's now vacant hands as they fell together into a giant cathedral. The room was filled to the brim with goblins of all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds, all eerily quiet. In the rear she could see Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didimus being held back by a group of armored goblins. She looked down at herself. Her clothes had changed, she now was wearing the elegant gown that she wore at the ball, but this time she also wore a veil.

She looked at Jareth. His clothes had changed as well and he was still clasping her hands. Someone began to speak and Sarah looked up into the eyes, and hat, of the wise man. She couldn't grasp what was going on or what the wise man was saying. She felt something being placed on her hand and looked down to see a ring with a tiny black crystal encrusted in the center on her finger.

Jareth lifted the veil and looked into Sarah's beautiful, yet exceedingly confused, eyes. Didn't she know what she was agreeing to? He thought, but it no longer mattered because she had chosen him. He leaned into her and placed his lips on hers in a chaste kiss.

His kiss was so soft and gentile that it surprised her more than an overpowering, deep kiss would.

'Is what I think is happening, actually happening? I didn't agree to this! I only agreed to stay with him, not marry him!' her mind raged.

The crowd of goblins cheered for their king as Jareth led the bewildered girl down the aisle. This was all too much for the poor girl and she began to see spots dance in her eyes. Jareth felt her stumble and pulled her to him. The last thing she saw before she fainted was Jareth's worried, mismatched eyes.

Sarah awoke surrounded by soft blankets. For a moment she thought she was home and smiled. When she opened her eyes, the smile disappeared.

'She's finally awake', he thought. He had spent the entire night by her bedside, waiting for her to return to him.

"Where am I?" she whispered. Her throat was dry and scratchy.

"I carried you to your chambers when you fainted. Are you well?" He asked as he handed her a cool glass of water.

She took the glass and drank ravishingly. "I think so." She said as she stared down at her adorned finger. "Are we…um…you know…"

"Yes…you chose to stay here…"

"Yes to stay here, not to marry you! You tricked me!" she screamed.

"I did nothing of the sort! You chose the dark crystal and everything that went along with it. Maybe you should learn to ask questions before agreeing to a proposition."

"That's not…"

"Fair?" he chuckled. "Were already finishing each others sentences, my sweet."

'My sweet!' She was so angry. No , not angry, livid. How could he trick her like this! Did he really expect her to love him now, just because they were husband and wife?

Suddenly Sarah's stomach grumbled and she realized that she was famished. The last thing she had eaten was an enchanted peach and that was over a day before.

"Come, you are hungry. Get dressed and I shall accompany you to breakfast." He said as he left the room to give her privacy as she changed.

She slowly got out of bed and walked over to an armoire that was on the other side of the room. She opened the heavy doors to see the most beautiful gowns she had ever seen in every color of the rainbow. She picked out a blue, plain dress and matching slippers and changed behind the screen that stood next to the armoire.

"Where are my friends?" Sarah asked between bites of heavenly quiche.

"Ah, Higgle, the monster, and the fox…" he mussed.

"Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didimus." She corrected.

"Yes, well, I sent them home. No doubt they are all concocting a plan to 'save' you from my 'evil' grasp." His voice dripped with sarcasm. He continued when Sarah gave him a disapproving look. "Anyway, they have been placed under house arrest until further notice."

"House arrest, but why?"

"They helped you through my labyrinth, and that is treason. They should have been executed!" At that word, Sarah gasped and stared wide-eyed at the Goblin King. "But since they are your friends and I knew I would never hear the end of it if I killed them, I spared their lives." 'They also brought you to me' he added silently.

"Am I aloud to visit them and show them that I am OK?" she asked.

"You are permitted to go anywhere you want within the Goblin City and the castle." He replied lightheartedly with a wave of his hand. His face and countenance grew serious as he spoke again. "But I warn you, do not travel in the west wing of the castle. There are dangers and secrets I wish you not to see." But she was already halfway across the room.

"Welp, then I am off to see my friends." She called back as she left the table.

So what do you all think? Any good? Please R&R! This is my first fanfic so I would like to know if I should continue or not. Thanx everyone!