Chapter Seven

Quoth the Raven

Jareth and Sarah were lying across the white comforter of the giant bed. Sarah was spooned loosely in Jareth's arms, one of his hands twirling her hair in his sleep. Some of his blonde hair was strewn over her shoulder and Sarah was lightly holding the ends of the lock. Their breaths were slow and steady, the misty fragrance of the night wafting through the canopy.

Jareth stirred and opened his eyes. He was slightly startled to find Sarah nestled next to him, but couldn't repress a smile to himself when he remembered what had occurred only hours before. For another fifteen minutes Jareth simply relished the feel of Sarah's body next to his, then he slid off the bed and walked out onto the balcony.

It was around four in the morning and somewhat chilly in the open air. The breeze felt nice around his bare legs. He rested his arms on the large stone banister and gazed over the Labyrinth. It was unbelievable to him that nine years ago he had stood in that same spot and cried. The Goblin King never showed emotion. He hadn't shown emotion since he was a young boy. For over two hundred years he had done nothing but serve his kingdom and the sad creatures that were wished away. However, on that night he had lost all control and given into his own dreams for once. Since that night of defeat, he had learned to accept his own feelings. The past year had been the most enjoyable in his life simply because he felt the passion of love.

A wind blew fiercely over the land, carrying a sense of tension. Jareth stood upright and scanned the horizon. He directed his gaze directly into the wind and suddenly heard the beating of wings. Quickly he dashed a crystal at his feet and was dressed in his usual attire.

A black raven landed on the rail in front of Jareth.

"Hello Andromeda. I see you chose to grace me with a counsel finally," he stepped back and the raven's feathers fluttered and grew into a wind tossed sorceress.

"Jareth. You aught to have more modesty, though I must say it was quite a show."

Jareth's suppressed a rising redness in his cheeks, "Why have you come?"

"Have you already forgotten my little Toby? He has grown quite fast. Would you like to see him?" She plucked a crystal from thin air and tossed it about in front of Jareth.

"You must return him to his home or to Sarah. You have no right to the boy," Jareth began steadily.

"I have every right to him!" she spat. "And besides that, he is happy with me. I give him everything he wants and care for him more than that mother of his ever did. He wants to be with me, and you can't bear the fact that I have won."

"This is not over, Andromeda. We will reclaim Toby and see that you are punished for your actions."

"You have no power over me," she smiled and advanced a step. "Ah, I see how my words effect you. A memory," Jareth felt her enter his mind, "a memory of a girl who rejected you. A girl that now shares your bed," she turned fiercely to the window and beheld the naked form of Sarah sleeping on the bed. Her voice rose in anger and surprise, "you have consummated with the girl?" she whispered fiercely.

"My personal relationships are no longer of your concern. I might remind you that our engagement has been severed for six years."

"Yes, six sad years. We would have been happy together. I like to think of Toby as the son we might have had. He has got your eyes, you know, and the powers that come with them. Quite remarkable, considering how unique they are," she reached a hand to cup his face, but Jareth knocked it aside.

"You are a conniving little creature, aren't you? Still trying to claim my kingdom?"

Her eyes softened, a hint of their former compassion, "No, never your kingdom. Only your heart," she paused and looked up at the distempered king. "I did love you, despite my parents' ulterior motives. I was rather hurt that you did not see that through their silly plots. I would never have let them carry through with it, even if I had to use force against them. I always loved you, but you never seemed to care enough to notice."

Jareth was unable to respond. She sounded sincere, and he could not sense any trace of a lie. He had wondered many a time if he had been mistaken in rejecting Andromeda ultimately, and now he knew that he had certainly been mistaken in his motives for the rejection.

"I am sorry that I could not return the love, but it was because I had yet to understand it. We were not meant for each other, Andromeda."

The compassionate glow faded away and her expression returned to that of cruelty. "My dear Jareth, I have moved on from you. Sometimes I do wonder what things might have been like, but now I am quite pleased with my life. Toby is a remarkable young man, just jumping headfirst into everything. He grows much faster than you think," Jareth glanced at the crystal, which she still held in her hand. "No, I think you do not deserve to see him. You have been much to busy dwelling on that creature," she nodded in toward the bed, "to think about dear Toby, so it shouldn't matter to you how he has changed. Perhaps another time, my love."

Before Jareth could protest, Andromeda had whirled back into raven form and taken flight. He started to transform to attack her, but heard an echo of her voice in his mind: "Kill me and the boy shall die with me. I have bound his spirit to mine to discourage you from your notoriously rash actions."

The raven cawed in the distance, sounding rather like a cackle. If she had truly bound his spirit, then there really was nothing that either he or Sarah could do. The only way to free a bound spirit is for the spirit itself to work the spell to release the bondage.

Jareth reentered his chambers and went to Sarah's side. She still slept soundly, but he knew that she would want to be disturbed to hear this new discovery.

"Sarah, love, wake-up," he purred in her ear. She stirred and opened her eyes. She looked around in a confused manner for a moment, then smiled with remembrance and sat up to kiss Jareth, but he held her back.

"I need to tell you something important; it's about Toby. Are you awake enough?"

Sarah jolted to an upright position and a look of concern took over her features, "What has happened?"

Jareth recounted his morning's events and she stoically took in his words. "We cannot free Toby by force. The only way for his to escape is by his own free will-"

"But surely Toby wants to return home or to see me," she interrupted.

"Not necessarily. She may have used spells to erase his memory or to alter it, and even if she hasn't he may have come to love her as well-"

"Love her? You can't be serious. That wretch isn't capable of giving love and certainly not receiving it-"

"You forget that I once loved her very much, or I thought I did at the least. We were close like friends. There was once good in her, but I fear it is now only used for self-serving purposes. She would be gentle and loving toward someone if she thought that she might benefit from her own actions."

Sarah's face turned crimson with jealousy and her eyes flashed a dangerous green.

"I speak the truth when I say that you are the only one I have ever truly loved. I have no compassion for Andromeda now, only pity and rage. I promise you, this will never change."

Her cheeks returned to their normal pale tone and she took his hand in acceptance of his statement. They shared this moment, and then she continued, "What can we do now?"

"All we can do is wait for her to come to us. She will be back, it is only a matter of time."

"But this could take forever!" Sarah cried in frustration.

"Forever is not long at all. You will see. It is in her nature to seek revenge and she certainly seems to hold a grudge against me."

Sarah slumped against the pillows and stared off into the white canopy. There was absolutely nothing she could do but wait, and she was determined to wait forever if that is what it took.