"Sarah, tell me all about your journey in my Labyrinth," Jareth said after a long pause, apparently satisfied that the matter of her future had been settled. He was slowly sipping from his goblet and picking absentmindedly at his dinner. "I am curious to know which way it took you, as I'm afraid I was too busy elsewhere to watch you."
Sarah remembered the goblin twins' plea and forced herself to concentrate, preparing her first lie to her future husband. She leaned back and started with the truth, carefully retelling where she'd been, until she got to the part with the Sphinx. "It asked a riddle, but I couldn't guess it, so it sent me to the Sandstone Maze. I feel asleep there for a while, but then went on until I got to two doors with a riddle above. Choosing the right answer, it led me straight to the Rose Garden and from there it was only a short walk to the City."
"Did it now…?" Jareth regarded her with narrowed eyes, as if he didn't quite believe it. "My, my – you are clever, aren't you?"
Sarah decided to change the subject: "The two little goblin maids in my room was talking about something called "the mists of magic" and how they used that for finding their way. Is that something I should have seen?"
"Oh, those two," Jareth smiled fondly and looked almost human for a moment. "No, you couldn't have – at least not yet."
"But what is it?" Sarah couldn't let him know how much she'd talked to the goblin twins, and if she had to stay, she might as well learn as much as possible about his world. She leaned back in her chair as well, sipping at the sweet fruity red drink in her cup. It was cool to the touch, but tasted very good - like hot sugar and blackcurrant, and she quickly emptied the cup and refilled it.
"The Mists are the magic of the Labyrinth."
Jareth seemed in his right element as he started talking about his kingdom, while they continued their meal. Sarah didn't have any appetite, despite her last meal being sparse and distant, but the few bites she forced down, tasted fine. Mostly, she just sipped at the sweet juice they were drinking, as it warmed her from the inside and made her oddly numb and relaxed in his company, despite her fears for the future.
"The Mists can only be seen and controlled by goblins and Fae. When we draw on its powers, we only use a small part, like using water from a lake to drink – it is always there, even in the furthest corner of my Kingdom and this castle is its centre. It is the essence and life of the Labyrinth, keeping it in balance, yet subtly changing the individual places. It creates harmony and requires harmony, and whenever something doesn't fit, it changes it to fit."
"Like changing children into goblins?" Sarah asked, this time more interested than disgusted.
"Yes," he answered calmly, "Mortals cannot exists in the Underground unchanged. Within 15 hours, the Mists will start changing them – that's why I only gave you 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth. That is a wide enough timeframe to allow me to send the person who tried to get through the Labyrinth back Above, and transport the child that was wished away outside my realm, if I find it is too young to be a goblin. I have family in the Dryad Woods that keep them while I find new parents for the baby among the Faes of the Realms."
"Will I be able to control it as well? When I am Fae?"
"Well, you will at least be able to control it as much as the goblins, so you can easily walk in the Labyrinth without any fears of getting lost. How much power you will get besides that is uncertain, but hopefully enough to transform as well. The owl shape is quite useful, I assure you."
In the flickering lights from the candelabras on the table, his sharp features and haunting eyes were accentuated, and she couldn't help noticing how much kinder he looked, as he kept on talking about Faes and Dryads and the history of the Labyrinth. Feeling relaxed and warm and rested, she stopped listening to what he was saying, and instead found herself studying every inch of him that she hadn't really dared to look at before.
This man, this Fae, that would soon be her husband, was undeniably handsome. His unruly hair was held back in a neat ponytail, but a single blue lock of hair had escaped and fell across his forehead and the slanted brows. A faint trace of fairy dust on his face made it look even more otherworldly. While speaking, he made little graceful gestures with his slender gloved hands to accentuate his words, and Sarah marvelled at the dexterity of them. The shirt was open in the front to show off his shining golden pendant in the shape of a moon, and she wondered whether this piece of jewellery was something personal to him, or a sign of his royalty. Did he have a crown as well, or was that only for mortal kings? Would she get a crown? The skin on his chest that the pendant rested on it was as pale as hers, just like the goblin girls had giggled about. Letting her eyes take in the outline of his shoulders and chest, she felt her cheeks grow hot as she imagined what his naked upper body would look like. And what it would feel like to run her fingers lightly over it, feeling his unnatural warmth again…
Suddenly, Sarah hiccupped loudly and was wrenched out her fantasies. She did it again, and closed her mouth, completely ashamed of herself. Feeling dizzy, she reached for her glass only to miss and knock it off the table, where Jareth caught it nimbly before it reached the floor.
"Are you ok, Sarah?" he asked with a trace of concern.
She nodded, but this made her head spin even more, and she concentrated on keeping very still. As Jareth returned her goblet and refilled it, she suddenly realized what was wrong.
"I can't believe it!" she cried accusingly and sprang up from her chair, slightly swaying. "You got me drunk?"
"You couldn't be," the Goblin King scoffed. "It was only normal fruit wine, how could two glasses do that?"
He stood as well and held out a hand to steady her. The light touch of his fingers on her arm burned like fire and made her shiver in apprehension, and she tore away, realizing that the sudden attraction and fascination she felt was surely the wine's doing.
"How could you do this to me!" she hissed. "How could you think I would fall for that? I might be forced to marry you, but I will never come willingly to your bed!"
"I assure you," Jareth replied calmly, but with an edge to his voice, "that it was not my intention. As if I needed to drug you!"
"As if you hadn't done it before!" Sarah tried to shake off the intoxication, but had to grip her chair to keep her balance. "What had you planned next for tonight – the ballroom again? Or to take me directly to bed?"
Jareth's eyes gleamed with anger at the accusation and he took a step forward, starting to say something, but whatever it was, it was interrupted by a loud screeching noise outside the room. Then the doors burst wide open and a bunch of small goblin soldiers was running towards the king, one of them carrying a trumpet, which proved to be the source of the annoying sound. He whirled around and faced them, still angry, and the goblin dropped the horn in fear and clung to the others.
"Your Majesty!" the largest goblin gulped, gasping for breath as if he had been running. "We're sorry to interrupt you, but… but… we have bad news! It's… it's the Bog!"
"Yes? What about it?" Jareth said impatiently, looking ready to murder the creature.
"It's... spreading! To almost twice its size in just four hours and all the trees are beginning to die. You must come and fix it, Sir Didymus says. He barely escaped before his nest was destroyed."
"Sir Didymus!" Sarah cried. "Is he ok?"
"Yes, Lady Sarah, but very concerned. The Bog of Stench has never changed size before!"
"Go to bed, Sarah," the Goblin King said firmly. "It is none of your concern. Get sober, and we'll talk in the morning." And with these words, he disappeared into thin air, and the goblins started running out again, yelling and shouting at each other.