Rating: T
Jareth/Sarah
Danger Ahead
She found her little grove again by chance; after the events of the last time she was here, the only thing she really remembered was the strange man, his strange mannerisms, and the way he had tried to intimidate her while actual seeming more afraid of her.
Smiling smugly at the thought, Sarah carefully perched on top of a moss-covered rock. As exiles go, maybe this isn't half bad, she thought, watching the stream burble along its way and feeling the sunlight dapple against her skin. She could have been sent a multitude of places that were much worse; the dull plains of the Midwest, the scorching heat of the desert, or even the snow-laden landscapes of the north. But this lush landscape had kick-started her imagination in a way living in the city never had.
Sarah pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and closed her eyes. At first, she couldn't hear much over the rush of water cascading down the hillside. Slowly, the sound of birds calling cheerfully to each other started to weave into the falling water, along with the muted sounds of wildlife rustling around in the forest and the soft shushing of the breeze through the trees. Sarah took a deep breath, tasting the mineral tang of the water and rocks around her, and the rich loam of the moss blanketing the rocks, all with a sweetness underlying it, like freshly sliced fruit. Yes, this wasn't a bad place to be at all. With a smile, Sarah opened her eyes—
—and stared into a yellow gaze.
With its leather-grey skin and little legs, Sarah first thought it was a lizard, and she gave a little gasp of surprise. The longer she stared at it, though, sitting impossibly still on the rock in front of her, it looked less like a reptile and more like a…creature.
Realizing Sarah was watching it, the little thing jumped up with a distressed sound and scampered up the stream. Sarah scrambled to her feet and stumbled after it as it easily dashed along the slimy surfaces. When it disappeared into the rock face next to the waterfall, Sarah stopped and stared at the solid surface for a long moment before turning away.
A glimmer in the corner of her eye spun her toward the hillside again. Kneeling, Sarah found a hole just big enough for her to crawl through. She stared at the black opening, thinking of how much trouble the rabbit had caused Alice.
"And I certainly don't want to end up in a position to lose my head," she murmured wryly. Curiosity gnawed at her, though. She pursed her lips and glanced at her watch; she had hours of daylight left, so she could at least see if the tunnel went anywhere. If she spent more than half-an-hour in there, she'd turn around and come back.
The tunnel wasn't as dark as she thought it would be. Little grub-like creatures coated the walls and ceiling and glowed like the star stickers she'd put over her bed when she was a kid. The dirt under her hands was rocky, but as she continued forward, it gradually became smoother, like fine sand.
A scuffle of sound ahead of her made her quicken her pace. That strange creature must be right in front of her.
The tunnel widened the farther she went until she was able to stand upright. Eventually, a dim light pricked the darkness, but she hesitated when she reached it, glancing over her shoulder toward the way home. Now that she was where she wanted to go, she wasn't sure she should be here after all.
With a deep breath, Sarah took a bold step forward—then stopped again. She had just walked into another…world.
On the surface, it could have been any place on Earth, but deep in Sarah's gut she knew this wasn't anywhere she could reach by normal means of transportation. The air hummed against her skin, like electric sparkles, and it tasted like fresh moonlight. The rusty dirt wasn't the result of too much clay in the soil; it shimmered like alizarin paint. As she slowly moved forward, skinny flowers bowed their dusty lavender heads, then whispered among themselves when she passed. The desiccated trees dotting the path eyed her warily, not sure if she was supposed to be here, but allowing her to pass since they hadn't been told otherwise.
An insect darted in front of her and hovered before her nose for a moment. It snarled then sped away with a clatter of wings. Sarah blinked several times, then let out a breath as she watched the trail of glitter it left in its wake. No way is this anything like home, she thought. Because the flying insect had iridescent wings like a dragonfly, but it had definitely looked like a miniature human with a palely glowing wreath of flowers atop its head and glowing fingertips like ET's.
When she crested the dusty red hill, she was presented with a spectacular view of a maze sprawling to the horizon. Its brick walls were in a sad state of disrepair, as though it had been built then forgotten. With a little care, Sarah thought it could sparkle with magical wonder instead of sag in weary dilapidation.
Sarah looked over her shoulder again, relieved to find the tunnel opening still in the side of the mountain, then laughed at herself; why on earth would she think it would move?
"Maybe because you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy," she murmured with a smile. She glanced at her watch to see how much time she had until sunset, and gasped softly. The second hand was moving backward, toward, not the twelve at the top of the face, but the thirteen. As it passed the number, the minute hand moved forward five minutes. Sarah frowned; she was sure when she looked last, the watch read three-fifteen. Now it was well past eight…or was it seven, since an extra hour had been added?
Shaking her head, Sarah looked at the maze again. It wasn't too far, so with a final glance at her way back, she headed down the hill until she came to the outer wall. She kept her distance from the crumbling bricks and the tough-looking vines desperately spindling their way up to the tangerine sky, wondering if there was a way inside. Not that she wanted to go in, really; it had looked twisty and foreboding from her vantage point on the hill.
"Out for a stroll?"
The gruff voice spun Sarah around, and she found a short, bumpy-faced man behind her. He stood waist high to her, had bushy brows and thick hands. His clothing was a hodgepodge of different materials, and at his hip hung a long string of colorful baubles.
"Pretty thing like yourself could find serious trouble." The little man peered at her. "Who might you be?"
"Sarah." The man harrumphed, clearly unimpressed. "Who are you?"
"Hoggle. And you shouldn't be here," he added, his tone bored instead of concerned.
"Are you a goblin?"
"A goblin?" He sounded offended, but before Sarah could apologize, he sneered, "Of course not. I'm a dwarf." Looking her up and down suspiciously, he cocked a bushy eyebrow. "Where'd you come from that you don't know that? You're not pretty enough to be one of Them, and you're not big enough to be a giant. An inbred?"
"I'm not a giant. I'm…human. A woman."
"A sun woman?" Hoggle's voice raised an octave. "What are you doing here? Does he know you're here?"
"Um…no?"
"You have to go back. You shouldn't even be here." Hoggle stopped and looked at Sarah curiously. "How'd you get here?"
"There's a cave beyond the ridge," she said, pointing at the hill. "I followed something here. A goblin, maybe."
Hoggle ran a hand over his face, his expression one of pained disbelief as he paced a worried line through the dirt. "Bog sticks and fairy farts, this is just wonderful. She just came through the cave, she says. As simple as that." He threw his hands up. "Piece of cake!"
"It actually was. I mean, the tunnel didn't even branch off."
That only made Hoggle more agitated. He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the hill. "You aren't meant to be here," he repeated. "Do you know what will happen if he finds you here? He'll take you, that's what! He'll take you and never let you go back. He's a sneak and a rat."
"Who are you talking about?"
Coming to an abrupt halt, Hoggle stared up at her. "Human," he finally said, snidely, as though it was the only explanation for her ignorance. "I don't know how y'all have survived for so long." On behalf of her species, Sarah thought she should feel a little offended. "Who do you think lives in that castle beyond the labyrinth?"
"Technically, it's a maze."
"It's whatever his royal pain in my backside wants it to be," Hoggle said, with a frustrated wave of a hand. "If he says labyrinth, then that's what it is."
"Royal pain? Are you talking about the Goblin King? I met him—"
"Shh! Don't say that!" Hoggle looked around furtively.
An impish grin twitched the corners of Sarah's mouth at his reaction. "Don't say…Goblin King?"
Hunching down as though the sky might suddenly fall on him, Hoggle shot her a desperate glance. "Yes!"
Stuck by a fey whim, Sarah threw her hands out to either side, tipped her face up to the daisy-yellow clouds, and shouted, "Goblin King, Goblin King, Goblin King!"
The wind died in shock at her audacity, the clouds skittered to a surprised halt, and a tremulous chill twisted the air…
When nothing else happened, though, Sarah dropped her arms with a droll chuckle; Hoggle looked like he was going to faint. "See? There's nothing to be afraid—"
"You called?" a silky voice whispered in her ear.
She saw his lips first, curled in a sly grin, when she whirled around. The sun glinted from his cheekbones, and his hair floated lightly around his face in the gentle breeze. A miserable sound came from behind her, but Sarah didn't dare take her eyes from the Goblin King. He was more striking here, in his element, than he had been on that moonlit path, and for a moment, Sarah forgot everything about their last encounter. When she backed up a step, he cocked his head to the side and his expression was clearly amused.
"I—I…I didn't mean…" She'd even forgotten how to form a coherent sentence.
"To call for me? Shout for me?" He erased the distance she created, and his voice dropped as he leaned forward. "Please, do it again. A little huskier this time. More…pleading."
His words reverberated through the fear, completely diffusing it, and Sarah rolled her eyes. "You're delusional if you think that's going to happen."
"Although," he continued as though she hadn't said anything, "I would much rather hear you screaming my name. It's Jareth, by the way."
This time, when Hoggle gasped, Sarah looked to find him staring at the Goblin King with huge eyes.
"Higgle." Jareth's tone was annoyed.
"Hoggle," the dwarf meekly corrected.
"Shouldn't you be—?" Jareth broke off, tilted his head to side, listening to something only he could hear. His lips thinned into a peevish line. "We'll have to continue this later, princess." His leather-encased finger brushed under her chin, and Sarah snapped her head away, refusing to let his low, rich chuckle affect her. "Such spunk. Don't think I'll forget you."
Sarah bared her teeth in an acerbic smile. "A girl can dream."
Jareth pulled up short as he moved away, and an unwholesome expression beamed over his face. "How true," he murmured. "Sweet dreams, Sarah Williams."
He vanished, leaving Sarah scowling at the glitter-shot wall. With a shake of her head, she turned toward the direction of home.
"You're in big trouble now."
Glancing down at Hoggle, following her to the base of the dusty hill, Sarah frowned. "Why's that?"
"He told you his name. Don't you know what that means?"
"Now I know what to put on the restraining order?"
"Humans," Hoggle muttered in disgust again. "You'd be best off moving. Get as far from here as possible, then go farther still. You don't want the likes of him finding you, trust me."
A/N: If you read the previous chapter, this will make more sense. I've been trying to piece this thing together forever. If posting it here to fill up all the themes is what it takes to get it to cooperate, then so be it. Enjoy!
