Chapter Nineteen: I Feel I'm Diving Into Driving Rain
His eyes narrowed and he smiled thinly. "Say that again, Sarah. I don't believe I'm hearing you correctly." He looked at the young woman in his arms, and gripped her chin, tilting her face up. "Repeat yourself, I pray you."
"Let. Go. Of. Me." Sarah bit out the words firmly, harshly. She tried to jerk her head away, but his strong hand held her in place.
His smile widened. "And if I don't?" He leaned closer, his breath falling on her lips, making her skin tingle.
He must not have expected her reaction. Otherwise, he would have ducked the fist that came flying into his face. The shock allowed Sarah to push away from him and jump back, her breathing quick and light. The rules of the game had just changed.
The Goblin King knelt there and placed a hand slowly to his cheek. He stared off as he said wonderingly,"You hit me." After pondering this for a few minutes, he slowly stood up and let his hand fall to his side. He stared at Sarah. "You hit me," he said again, eyes narrowing as they fell upon Sarah's defensive posture. "Sarah..." he growled as he took a menacing step forward.
Her voice wavered. "Enough, Goblin King." He stilled, and watched her silently, his face a placid mask. Sarah took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "You came into my life first by kidnapping my brother and sending me through a maze. I may have asked that, but I never, ever expected my wishes to be granted." She swallowed hard and continued, her voice softened but steadier. "You turn my world upside down of your own free will, and then demand that I bear responsibility. Then you come back into my life as I'm trying to move on, and you disrupt my every thought as you hover like some menacing Puck of old." Sarah straightened and looked directly into his eyes. Quietly, firmly, she said,"Leave me be, Goblin King. That is what I wish. Take yourself out of my life, and let us both move on." Sarah blinked back tears.
He stared at her, then tilted his head back and laughed mockingly. "Sarah, Sarah, even if I leave you alone," he smirked,"Your Labyrinth won't."
"I still don't believe the Labyrinth has anything to do with me," she responded quietly.
"It has everything to do with you," he snapped. "I told you already, you can't just change the Labyrinth to suit your needs and expect to walk away scot-free! It claims you, Sarah!"
Frustration boiled up within her. "No, it doesn't!" she yelled. She pounced forward, muscles tight with tension. Her quiet and threatening stride backed the wary Goblin King to the wall. "That is most likely yet another lie or half truth you formulated just to keep me in your life." She gestured sharply with a single hand, rage filling her body. Too much. This was just too much. Ever since he'd reappeared, her life had just been too much. "Damn it, Goblin King, I don't want or need you. I don't need your gifts and pranks, your so-called generosity and the price I have to pay for it; I don't want your Labyrinth, your claims and lies," she inhaled and added sharply,"and I certainly don't want you!"
The words hung in the room like the damp odor of the Bog of Eternal Stench, foul and permeating. Sarah's eyes widened as she took a stumbling step backwards, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping. The Goblin King stood there, an odd, calm look on his face. The words rang through the room like the muddy distortion of a song, filling the silence with curious dread.
Oh, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. You can't think I meant it. Sarah felt her eyes tear up again as the words swirled in her mind and shied away from her mouth. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Why weren't the words coming forth? The sinking sensation in her stomach should have been aiding her diaphragm, right? She didn't want it to end this way. Not with hateful, brash untrue words. She stared at him mutely, her brown eyes wide open to take in his still form. The stillness was awful; she would rather he was again that fearsome statue of black and white crackling with anger than to see him so still and lifeless.
He finally met her horrified eyes, sighed, and smiled pleasantly at her. With an elegant bow, he said softly, firmly,"As my lady wills it."
And he was gone.
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A/N: *blink blink* wow, this was a hard chapter to write. I'm not good at arguments because, well, I don't really get into them very often. And when I get mad, my mind gets...blank. I run on some weird reptilian autopilot, and whatever happens just sorta becomes fuzzy images in my brain afterwards. So, um, yeah. Hope you...enjoyed?