Don't Let Go
Chapter Fourteen: Don't Let Go
Sarah stepped in her room and blinked. "Oh." She tossed her bag in the general direction of her dresser, eyes fixed on the base of her bed.
The Goblin King smiled pleasantly, sitting at the foot of the bed. "And a merry day to you too, Sarah." That shade of black silk draped on his form in very nice ways. All very decent, of course, all important parts modestly covered. That didn't deaden the effect of the appeal of his lanky figure, but it was certainly a muted appeal from their previous encounter.
He was being too nice. Sarah walked warily around him, her eyes never leaving his relaxed form. "I have a date this weekend," she said without thinking, waiting for a response.
"Oh?" He grinned. "And what shall this date consist of, Sarah?"
"Fun. Movie. Clothes." She waved her hand vaguely. "The usual." She leaned against her dresser.
"And what would you know of that?" His eyelids slid shut as he smiled, bemused.
She flushed and stiffened. He had no right to come in here uninvited and insult her, however indirectly. She opened her mouth to make a retort.
"Your Labyrinth misses you," he said softly, eyes still closed.
She paused. "It's not my Labyrinth," she objected firmly.
"Not my Labyrinth; yours."
Sarah sighed exasperatedly and threw up her hands. "Jareth, you don't make any sense!"
He opened his eyes and looked at her contemptuously. "Must we go through this again?"
"Well, you're not making any sense! Or," she added sarcastically,"I'm just not understanding you." She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.
He shook his head slightly. "Still rewriting the world to fit your needs, I see."
Sarah glanced up at the ceiling. "Give me strength," she muttered, before returning to the Goblin King. "Look, why are you here? To confuse me?"
"It doesn't seem that you need any help in that department."
Sarah ground her molars together. "I'm warning you, Goblin King-"
"Sarah, I'm truly wounded by your ill suspicions." He grinned at her and placed a hand over his heart, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Here I come to bring word that your Labyrinth misses its mistress and servant, and you accuse me of bringing less than pleasant intentions."
Silence followed as Sarah struggled to put together the oddly shaped pieces of multicolored information he gave her. A disgusted sigh spread through the silence as she gave up. "Okay," she said slowly, stiffly, avoiding his amused gaze,"I really don't understand what you're trying to say. Would it be so below you to explain it to me before my frustration overcomes the restraint I have on my must-kill urges?"
He smirked. "Well, now, admitting that wasn't so difficult, was it?"
"Don't push your luck, Goblin King," Sarah growled.
He raised an elegant eyebrow and smiled lazily. "I would remind you to do the same, Sarah Williams," he said in a soft, seductive voice, and sensuality wafted through the room, permeating every pore of Sarah's skin. The air felt heavily perfumed with the scent of danger and unknown, and she shivered. His narrowed eyes caught the tiny movement, caught the tiny step back she took, and he met her wide-eyed gaze, noted her cheeks tinted pink and her lips slightly open. He smiled slowly, and nodded once. "Since you asked me so nicely," he said as he pulled himself further back on the bed,"I will explain in simpler, mundane terms. Pity; I thought you of all mortals would have understood intuitively, but..." He tilted his head back haughtily. "Then again, your intuition is remarkably poor in many, many areas."
Sarah swallowed hard and fought the stinging pain his words caused.
"The Labyrinth," the Goblin King said softly,"Was entered by you. Changed by your thoughts, your desires. Most mortals sent through lack the imaginative power to strongly influence the moving walls and chambers of the Labyrinth, but yours was a lasting influence. But that influence comes at a price, as do all things. It claimed you just as you staked you claim on it, just as it claims all who bend it to their will."
"That doesn't make sense." At his disdainful look Sarah hastened to add,"If it's subservient, it can't be in power at the same time. It's contradictory. That can't be right."
He paused and tilted his head, considering."Can't it?" he asked softly, and he gazed at her, almost cautious in his tentativeness.
Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.
The words echoed, deep bells ringing and the golden brass tones resounding against the stone walls of her memory. She inhaled sharply and blinked back sudden tears. She glanced away. "So what does that matter to me?"
He was quiet. The awkward pain pulled and stretched thin, and Sarah wanted to scream shrilly just to shatter that silent ache. She finally turned to look at him, and he seemed lost in thought. Then,"I suppose it does not matter, after all," he murmured. He glanced up and met her eyes. He smirked. "For you are trapped on this side of the mirror, separated from your abandoned friends and your beloved Labyrinth, entangled with these mortal bonds and fears."
She stilled as a sharp pang reached into her heart and stabbed repeatedly. "I didn't abandon them-"
"Oh, don't lie to me," he cut off sharply, disgusted. "Lie to yourself all you want, but don't lie to me, Sarah. You left them behind, cut them out of your life's story just as you cut the Labyrinth out. I'm their king, make of it what you will, and I see their pain, their confusion." The accusations cut sharp. "Hoggle betrayed me, just as you wished, in order to remain your friend. Ludo helped you, just as you wished, in order to remain your friend. And poor addled Didymus decided that you were more important than any vow he's had," his voice became savage as he punctuated each word,"Just as you wished."
Her eyes filled with tears and overspilled, and she remained standing, frozen.
"They remain there, waiting and wanting because they befriended you, desired to fulfill your dreams. And their hope is never fulfilled, their need to see you never satisfied." The rage left his face just as quickly as it'd come, and he sat back, weary. "Sarah," he whispered,"What more must you demand of us? How many more steps will you make your marionettes dance?"
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A/N: *wide eyes* Wow. I actually have paragraphs in this chapter.