Ch. 13
For the first time in her life, Sarah was utterly speechless. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Jareth watched her warily. He decided to let her sort through her thoughts and let her speak first.
Her head was spinning with the events of her life in the last 24 hours. Less than that even, and she'd had enough surprises and excitement to last her the rest of her life.
Which could be forever, if she agreed to the offer Jareth was proposing. Wait. In order to be his Queen, she'd have to…marry him. Marry him? This was too much for Sarah.
Eyes flashing, she looked at Jareth, and he didn't like the look one bit.
"That's crazy! Just crazy! I would have to marry you! Marriage! My God, do you understand what that means? I would have to marry you and become a queen of goblins, just so my little brother can visit a fantasy land that he didn't know about until fifteen minutes ago. Shit, Jareth, I can't deal with all this. I thought it was complicated when you showed up again after ten years, but then it just kept getting more and more complicated. Your best friend, who I assume it's safe to say is also an immortal fairy person,is shacking up with my best friend, the most down to earth person I know, someone who would send all of us to the looney bin if we tried to tell her what her boyfriend is. And it's too much to try to figure out the feelings I've got floating around. God, I've known you less than two days, then you show up out of nowhere and tell me you love me? Why wait ten years, huh? If you loved me so much, why did you wait so long?" By now, tears were streaming down Sarah's face, but she was far from finished. It felt too good to get everything off her chest.
"My poor little brother just finds out that he had a childhood he didn't even know about, in a place filled with goblins, which he came very close to turning into, I might add. And he finds out that his sister, who he loves to death, didn't want him. And he accepts it! Just like that! And all he wants in return it to visit the Labyrinth. Ha, easier said than done! I would do anything for that boy, anything, and you know it. This is just too much, though. I was having a hard enough time dealing with this, trying to act like it's normal to have the Goblin King sleeping on my couch. Well it's not normal! Far from it! How am I supposed to deal with this? I outgrew my fantasy world ages ago, and now it's back, thrown in my face. Well you know what? I don't want it, and I don't want to deal with this anymore right now." With that, she fled to her room, crying.
Jareth sat back in shock, trying to absorb all that he's just heard. He didn't blame Sarah for her outburst. He knew it was coming, especially with the conditions for Toby's visit thrown in. He laid his head in his hands, sighing. This was such a mess. All he'd wanted was to come here, tell Sarah he loved her, hear her say she loved him back, and then take her to the Underground to be his Queen. He would cherish her, and she wouldn't want for anything. But he was beginning to feel that it was hopeless. Every time they talked, they seemed to end up farther apart, not closer together.
Sarah, he thought. Forgive me for all of this. I'm only here because I love you. All I want is for you to love me back.
He was still sitting on the couch brooding when he heard a timid voice. "Mr. Jareth?" Toby asked.
Jareth looked up and smiled at Toby. "It's just Jareth."
"Jareth, then." Toby plopped next to Jareth on the couch. "Why's Sarah sad?"
Jareth closed his eyes for a second. How to explain this to a ten year old boy? He couldn't. "It's a very long story, Toby. I'm sure she'll talk to you about it when she's ready," he said, hoping it would be true.
"Are you her boyfriend," Toby asked with the bluntness only children can get away with.
Jareth decided to be truthful with the boy, and said, "I hope so." Toby smiled at that, he thought Jareth was cool, and that his sister finally picked a good boyfriend.
"Well, are we gonna visit the Labyrinth?" Jareth saw the hope in the boys eyes and had to look away. "I don't know, Toby. It's a very complicated situation, and I'm afraid it would be difficult to explain it all to you, I'm sorry."
Toby looked like he wanted to push it farther, but he didn't. Instead, he looked up at Jareth with shining eyes. "Can you tell me all about the Labyrinth?"
Jareth smiled and settled in for an afternoon of stories.