"Precious," Jareth said gently, rolling onto his side and rubbing Sarah's back with his right hand, "aren't you hungry." Sarah glanced over at the king, not moving anything but her eyes, and shook her head.
The two lay in the middle of the Escher room, neither wanting to leave yet both knowing that, sooner or later, they would have to.
"No," Sarah said softly. "I just want to lay here with you." The girl nested up against Jareth and buried her head in his chest. "Cattie's not going to be happy with me."
Jareth couldn't help but laugh, "But, Precious," he said, stroking Sarah's hair, "staying her longer will only make Cattie more upset. Besides, we've been here all day," Sarah looked up at these words. Jareth smiled down at her. "Sir Didymus will have called out the guard by now."
Sarah laughed. "Unless Cattie beat him to it. I didn't know she could be so scary."
Jareth laughed and sat up, pulling Sarah into his lap for the fifteenth time that day. It was quickly becoming his favorite position. He was beginning to like this even more then when he sat on his throne, legs draped over the side.
As Hoggle walked, once again, into the throne room, he stopped mid-step, causing all that were following him to run into each other. Pinking themselves up, Cattie hissed, "What is it Hoggle?"
Hoggle looked at her, confusion showing on his face, and said, " I's thought I heard Sarah's laugh."
Sir Didymus looked incredulous, "Is our Fair Maiden in this room?" Hoggle shook his head.
Llewellyn exchanged glances with his wife, eyes shining, and said, "The Escher Room." Cattie nodded and stepped aside to let him through.
It was Sir Didymus and Hoggle's turn to exchange glances, this time confused, when Llewellyn led the way. Stalking across the throne room soundlessly, the Feline reached the door where Sarah had left Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus on her first visit to the Underground and motioned for the others to follow.
Cattie shook her head, smiling, and whispered, "His Panther side is taking over."
The other three nodded knowingly, following the misplaced Feline. As the five creatures walked up the stairs, Hoggle could feel his anger growing.
With every step, the band could hear more clearly Jareth's loving words, which he spoke softly to Sarah. And with every word, Hoggle could feel his blood rising, until finally, when the group walked into the Escher Room, it was all the Dwarf could do to keep from lunging at Jareth.
Sensing that his brother was feeling a bit…upset; Sir Didymus spoke up, attracting Jareth and Sarah's attention. "Sire," he said with a sidelong glance at Hoggle, "we have been searching all the day for you and Lady Sarah."
"We get worried," Ludo added, placing a hand on Hoggle's shoulder in hopes of calming the irate dwarf.
Cattie and Llewellyn exchanged quick glances at the actions of their companions then rushed forward to help their Lord and Lady from the ground.
Jareth held onto Sarah firmly with one am, raising the other hand to rub his eyes. "If we had wanted to be found," he said, looking up at the two Felines, not even bothering with the other three, "we would have stayed in a place where we could have been easily found."
Hoggle couldn't handle it anymore. "You just wants to control Sarah," he shouted, walking forward and pointing at Jareth. "You don' really care about her."
"I warn you, Dwarf," Jareth said, nudging Sarah gently off his lap and standing gracefully, "don't defy me. I have been generous to all of you, but I can be cruel."
Sarah stayed where she was on the ground, hugging her legs to her chest. The girl didn't like where this was going, but didn't quite know how to stop the argument. Cattie sat down next Sarah wrapping one arm around the girl's shoulders and placing the other hand on her shoulder.
"My Brother," Sir Didymus warned quietly, "perhaps now is not the time."
"Now is as good a time as any," Hoggle shouted at the fox. Turning to Jareth he pointed at Sarah and yelled, "Look at her. Do you honestly think you're helping her?"
"I am not to be trifled with," Jareth said, anger pouring out into his voice. Everyone in the room, save for Hoggle, flinched, as he raised a hand to quiet the dwarf.
Lowering his arm and clenching both hands into fists, Hoggle walked forward even more, "You don' know how to help her. You don' know what she needs."
"And I suppose you do?" Jareth questioned. The two began circling each other. Ludo backed up against a wall. Llewellyn grabbed Sir Didymus and he, too backed up against a wall, holding the tiny knight firmly. Sarah raised her hands to her eyes, clenching her eyes shut as Cattie tightened her grip.
"I knows more about Sarah than you do," Hoggle shouted.
"What do you know?" Jareth said, voice rising in volume.
"Stop it," Sarah whispered. No one heard.
"I KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF YOU SHE DON'T LIKE PEACHES ANYMORE," Hoggle shouted. "I KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF YOU SHE DIN'T TRUST NO ONE WITH TOBY. I KNOW THAT WHA' SHE NEEDS NOW IS SOMONE SHE CAN TRUST."
"Stop fighting. Stop fighting. Stop fighting," Sarah whispered over and over, eyes clenched shut, shaking her head, and making fists out of the hands that were still covering her ears.
"Someone she can trust to lead her into a trap and leave her stranded?" Jareth said loudly, eyes flashing.
"AT LEAS' I DON' NEED MAGIC TO GET HER TO LIKE ME," Hoggle shouted, gesturing wildly.
Jareth raised his hand, a crystal appearing. Everyone that saw it gasped and backed up further. "YOU GO TOO FAR, DWARF," the Goblin King shouted. He pulled his hand back to throw the crystal at the offending dwarf and send him to an obscure oubliette.
"STOP FIGHTING," Sarah screamed at a pitch and volume that only the High King knew her capable of, standing quickly and pushing Cattie off of her. Silence fell upon the room as the Dwarf and the Goblin King regarded Sarah, both regretting what had been said.
Not able to take anymore, Sarah ran out the door. Cattie, Jareth and Hoggle went to follow her. "Let her go," Llewellyn said quietly. "Right now, she needs to be alone."