Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the movie Labyrinth. The Labyrinth characters and events in the movies belong to Jim Henson, may he rest in peace as his legacy lives on through all of us. I seek to make no profit from this venture and I promise to return everything back the way I found it.
A Champion's Prize
Story by Jessica Arbuckle (Jessi, Princess of Impatience)
June - undetermined, 2005
Chapter Two, Desires of the Past…
Sarah was in a black space with no sound, light or movement. She could not see her own hand as she waved it wildly in front of her face. She moved backwards slightly, bumping against something soft. She felt around experimentally as she realized it was some kind of chair or couch. A whisper came to her as she sat.
"See first the desires of the past, from his dreams when his heart is most open," the voice said softly.
Suddenly, Sarah was assaulted by images in front of her, blinking at the change in light as they played out like movies in the blackness before her, moving quickly past her gaze, too fast for her to catch anything she could recognize. They slowed onto one scene, that of the dream ballroom. As before, it was crowded with various people in gorgeous costumes and masks, including a dark haired girl with wide eyes, glad in a beautiful gown, who did not have a mask. Sarah recognized the fifteen-year-old version of herself and wondered why she was being shown this, one of her own memories.
She soon realized that it was not her memory, as she noticed things she would not have noticed in her search. What she could see now, that she had never before known had happened, was the fair-haired man with the demon horned mask who was singing. She watched him drop it and saw the look in his eyes. Although the girl could not see him, he was watching her with eyes full of love and desire.
She watched him stay within sight of her, although she could not see him as she continued to search. As a fan came down behind the girl's head, she again saw his face, with a slight smile, looking so much in love Sarah felt her heart might break. What she had once thought her imagination she could now see was very much real. Jareth had loved her in that place, showing it there as he had not been able to anywhere else.
She smiled sadly as she watched the two find each other and begin to dance, their eyes locked as the man continued to sing. "Silly girl," she whispered softly to the girl in the image, "how could you not have known?" She was shocked when another figure became noticeable in the background. It was Jareth, but not the Jareth of the dance. This one was clothed casually, both his hands and feet bare and she realized he was a spectator in his own dream, yet part of it. She saw the sad longing written clearly on his face and felt an overwhelming desire to comfort him.
The image shifted, once again assuming the wild spinning before coming to stop at another scene, this one of their last meeting. This time, Sarah viewed it from over Jareth's shoulder as he offered the crystal. She looked intently into the crystal instead of at the two speaking, for she could see things moving within it. In shock, she could see various images – Jareth kissing her head softly as she slept in his arms in a bed; walking down an isle in a white dress, her hand firmly tucked into her father's, walking slowly towards Jareth as his mismatched eyes gazed at her, bright and happy; Jareth holding a bundle of blankets in his arms as he looked down at her, tears in his eyes; Jareth playing within the Labyrinth with three small children that looked like a mix of them both and one who was older than the rest… tall and blonde with bright blue eyes… it was Toby. "My dreams," she breathed, feeling her eyes well up with tears. Her dreams had been to be with him, to marry him, to even have children together that could know and play with Toby, who had not been a goblin. 'How could I not have know,' she thought bitterly.
She listened as he offered the dreams to the girl, dreams that the girl could not see and had not even known she had. As the words sunk in Sarah thought if she had only known she loved him, she would have known she was able to convince him to not turn Toby into a goblin. As she thought this, the girl in the image boldly shot him down without a second thought and the man transformed into an owl.
And again the images shifted, passing by her furiously until they came to an image of him and her in bed together, their bodies naked and sleek with perspiration born of the desires they were fulfilling. She felt almost embarrassed to be watching what was presented to her, for they were his most privates desires and dreams. She felt like an intruder, even though the dark-haired person beneath him was most definitely her. What they did in that bed she had never before done with anyone, but she found herself seriously considering what it would be like with him.
The images came faster now, some of places she had never before seen, yet she and Jareth were there. She watched herself cavort in a wide open space with him, tackling him to she ground to kiss him as his hands roamed over her body. She watched herself laughingly struggle before he rolled, bringing her body under his. She then saw herself, in the throne room, at his side in a throne of her own as goblins scurried back and forth. One was performing a trick at which the Sarah on the throne, clothed in a magnificent gown, was laughing gaily about. She watched herself drop to the floor to hug the goblin as Jareth looked on in surprise and amusement. Then she saw herself in a bedroom with stone walls, standing at a high window as a white barn owl flew inside and circled her, turning into Jareth as he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
The flashes came in short bursts now, scant minutes of moments in which she saw the both of them profess their love or utter sweet endearments as they walked, talked and held each other. By this time, tears were streaming down Sarah's face at the force and emotion of his dreams. Even if she had known he might love her, she had no idea he loved her this much. He had made a life for them in his dreams when she had rejected the life he wanted to give her from her dreams.
The images faded to be replaced one again by the blackness. Sarah placed her head into her hands and wept for the loss of a love she had not known. She could not believe that he might still love her, after he had to endure all of this. The voice had said this was the past, after all. Sarah dreaded the moment the voice would show her what he felt now.
a/n: Please R/R, I would just adore it!