Chapter 4:
Sarah had been in a deep dreamless sleep for a little over an hour when suddenly she began to scream and struggle against the comfort that Jareth's arms tried to bring her. Jareth woke up instantly and sparred a quick glance at a wall clock before beginning to restrain her. Sarah had plenty of time left in which to return to the entrance of the labyrinth and despite her feverish state, she was determined to win.
"Layne!" Jareth roar as he sat on Sarah's stomach and used his knees to hold down her legs while his hands were busy with her arms.
Layne opened the kings bedroom door the same instant his name was uttered. As if he knew he was to be summoned. Taking a moment to determine the situation, Layne rushed to the bed side and whispered a few soft words into the struggling girl's ear.
"Do not fight, my lady. You are weak with fever. I will take care of you. Let me help and you may defeat the labyrinth yet," he spoke soothingly into Sarah's ears.
Sarah stilled in her struggles and Jareth took this as a sign to get off of her. He stood and quickly wiped a concerned look off of his face and replaced it with a cold uncaring one.
"If you are well enough to struggle then you are well enough to continue running the labyrinth for your freedom?" Jareth questioned in a careless manner,"I dare say you only made it this fair by stupidity."
To this Sarah practically growled and tried to stand from the bed only to collaspe into Layne's waiting arms.
"Easy there, my lady. You've time enough to heal a bit more before going," Layne counseled as he helped her back onto the bed.
Jareth at this point was outraged at the way Sarah so easily listened and allowed Layne to touch her. His jealousy was getting the better of him, so he teleported to his study to calm himself down. He refused to let a mortal girl ruin his better judgement. He could not understand why he had insisted on sharing his bed with her. It was his duty to keep her from dying in the labyrinth, not to be her body pillow. His lust for Sarah was clouding his mind. He would keep his distance until she had lost and then claim what was his.
Back in the room, Layne was beginning to strip Sarah of her nightgown in order to clean and rebandage her wounds. Sarah panicked and began to try to run from Layne.
"Do not fear, my lady. I am a eunich and a server of the Goblin King. I am neither able nor willing to dare try to hurt you. Let me tend your injuries," Layne assured her as he continued his ministrations.
Sarah tried to speak, but her voice would not come to her so she simply nodded and allowed Layne to do his tasks. She blushed slightly and tried to scoot away as Layne tended to wounds close to generally personaly areas, but Layne merely smiled a little and said she had nothing to fear. Sarah sat still the remainder of the cleaning and rebandaging.
She looked at her surroundings a gasped as she took them in. The room was spacious and the walls and ceilings were completely covered in mirrors or scrolls of this unknown language. It gave the room an airous and oriental atomosphere, but the dark wood furniture created a stark contrast. The bed was the largest thing in the room, perfectly centered on the back wall and draped with long black drapes hanging from the canopy of the bed posts. The bed was oval shaped instead of the rectangular shape Sarah was accostomed to. The sheets were silk and glossy black against the the dull black of the bedspread. The floor was done in a marble and mirror pattern that added to the illusion that the room never ended. In the corner to Sarah's left was an oriental style curtain which she assumed hid the bathtub. Beside this was a couch or lounging chair of sorts. On the wall adjacent to the corner with the bath, was a large roaring fireplace cast in black marble and trimmed in pure gold. Gold ornaments dotted things everywhere, Sarah also noticed as she turned her head to look at the other side of the room. This side contained the doorway for the bedroom and a large chest made of the same material as the other furniture.
Despite the largeness of the room, these seemed to be the only things that Jareth possessed. Sarah presumed that the mirrors hid many secrets and tried to not focus on them. So many mirrors in a bedroom to her meant that Jareth was a vain and arrogant lover that wanted to watch himself as he pleased woman. Or men. Sarah smirked to herself at that last thought, before realizing she was mentally analyzing Jareth's sexuality. This realization startled her enough to gasp aloud and blush very deeply.
"There we go, my lady," Layne announced, jarring Sarah from her thoughts,"You're all bandaged up. Would you like clothing and get back on your way?"
Sarah tried her best to speak, but her throat would not let out so much as a squeak. She gaped with her mouth open like a waterless trout while Layne wrinkled his brow in concern.
"My lady, are you perhaps...afraid of being without your voice? Is speaking very vital to your existence in the Aboveground?" Layne asked a bit puzzled.
Sarah nodded her head and attempted to tell Layne about being in Drama and the Choir at her highschool for the past three years, but failed miserably. Fustrated she growled and hoped her point was gotten across just the same.
Layne nodded in agreement and stated,"The Labyrinth uses your fears to it's advantage. Remember this."
Layne handed Sarah her normal night attire, now clean and ready to be worn. He helped her into the clothes and gave her a small hug.
"The castle is vast and seemingly endless, but if you take the first set of stairs you come across...you can bypass all of the walking and reach the outerwall in minutes,"Layne whispered carefully into Sarah's ear before rising and leaving the room as briskly as he had entered.
Sarah sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. She had no idea how much time she had left, but was going to use all of it to win. She could not lose, not when she was so close to winning. Sarah placed her weight onto one shaky leg and took and unsteady step forward. She took another and another until she reached the door. Opening it led her into a drafty hallway lit by small candle holders along either wall. She took her first step out of the bedroom and felt a rush of air as she fell down a stairwell screaming the entire way.
Okay this seems a little short to me..not that my other chapters aren't..but I will work on lengthening them and any suggestiong, critic, or friendly words are appreciated.