A/N: This one is a bit longer, to placate my poor readers. Ugh…the slime from Hamel is getting all over my keyboard. ;-) -PC
Disclaimer: None of the characters from the Labyrinth movie are mine. I also did borrow a quote/concept from Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, at the very opening of the chapter.
Sarah was escorted through a high archway into a small, intimate dining room. The table was laid for two, and set with a variety of dishes that ranged between looking incredibly delicious, and looking like something she'd find stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
"Well, don't just stand there, my dear – sit! Eat! You must be hungry."
Hamel had come in through another archway, and was looking at her like she belonged on the table. Warily, she crossed to one of the chairs, allowing him to pull it out for her. She watched as Hamel took his own seat.
This is going to be like a fencing match – parry, thrust, parry, and repeat. But it's a fencing match where I don't know what the swords look like, the rules manual is written in Russian, and my opponent smiles all the time.
Servants stepped forward and filled their plates and glasses. As they returned to their positions against the walls, Hamel raised his goblet.
"A toast – to the King's Champion?" His tone was mocking, and his lips were again curled in the sneer that she'd seen Jareth wear so many times.
"To the rightful King," she countered, and without waiting for a reply, drank deeply from her glass. The wine was excellent.
As she put down the glass, she had the satisfaction of seeing Hamel glaring at her across the table. His face quickly relaxed into confidence, but the fury had been there. That might be useful. He clearly doesn't like to be reminded that he's the one stealing the throne here.
"I trust your apartments are to your liking?" Hamel picked up his fork and began to toy with the food on his plate.
"Indeed, thank you. And thank you for the clothes, as well." Sarah used her own fork to start separating out the items on her plate that she actually thought she could eat.
"Oh, my pleasure. It's my duty to make sure you're well cared for – at least, until the Challenge." The unpleasant sneer was back.
"And after that, it's your duty to make sure I fail."
"We all have our roles, little Champion."
Hamel toyed with his food for another moment, then added, "You know, you don't have to defend him, Sarah. Did my cousin happen to mention that part?"
"Yes, he did." She glowered at him. "And I will defend him."
"Oh, of course…it just seemed to me, that…" Hamel trailed off and filled his mouth with a bite of something.
"Seemed to you that what?" Great. Why do I have the feeling that he's conducting the orchestra, and that I'm playing third trombone from the left?
"Well…that he should be at your mercy, that's all. After all, you defeated him. Why would you stoop to defend someone whom you've fought before? I'm just curious, you understand."
Sure you are. And that stuff on your plate didn't just try and squirm away.
"I suppose that I don't regard it as "stooping"."
"Perhaps you should, then. I think you might find it very…amusing…to humble my cousin a bit. I certainly have."
"I highly doubt that you and I get our thrills the same way."
"You'd be surprised. I think that the two of us have much in common…and could have even more."
She regarded him skeptically. "What do you mean by that?"
Hamel lowered his voice, letting it ooze across the table. "Ally yourself with me, Sarah. Forsake my cousin and Champion me instead. You'll be able to get even with him for all those years ago, taking your baby brother away like that…doesn't someone like that deserve to lose their kingdom?"
Despite her best efforts, Hamel's voce was hypnotizing. Yes, she remembered now, how cruel Jareth had been to her…maybe Hamel was right, that she should help him keep the throne instead of helping Jareth to regain it…
A memory drifted across her mind like a curtain blowing in the wind. Which, to be fair, you did ask him to do…
"I asked him to," she muttered.
"What was that, my dear?"
Sarah was feeling the misty web that Hamel had spun over her evaporate. Although, I should probably see how far he's going to take this…"Nothing," she mumbled.
"Sarah? Come here, my dear."
Even though she'd shaken off the hypnosis, her body still responded to the pull of his voice, and she was up and across the room rather more quickly than she'd intended. She kept herself somewhat limp as Hamel snaked his arm around her waist, his other hand tipping her chin up.
"Good girl," he murmured. "Champion me, and I'll make all your dreams come true."
Her right hang, swinging freely, brushed the edge of Hamel's plate. In an instant, she tensed up, scowling at a surprised Hamel, grabbed the plate – still full of food – and smashed it into his face.
"Jareth already has," she hissed.
Hamel slowly drew a hand down his face, wiping off the larger chunks of food. "You have no idea how foolish that was," he muttered.
"Spare me."
"You can't deny that I'm right. My cousin used you before, and make no mistake, he'll use you again."
"Oh, like I'd be so much better off with you? He was only doing what I asked him to do."
"Was he? Better look closely, Sarah. Are you just telling yourself that in order to indulge your little schoolgirl crush, playing the heroine to his brave knight in distress?" He smirked.
She grinned, clearly surprising him. "I've missed getting to be the heroine of the story. They always win."
Hamel grabbed his wine cup, raising it in a mock toast. "I'm afraid, Sarah, that you're going to find this is no fairy tale…and that the heroine, pure of heart though she may be, does not win in this story." He paused, drinking deeply from the cup, and his tone grew much more formal. "The Challenge will be in three days. You have that long to gain whatever advice you can get from my cousin, and make other preparations as you wish. Forgive me if I don't see you during that time, I shall be quite…busy." He smirked again. "The servants will attend to all your needs."
As he turned to go, Hamel looked back over his shoulder. "One last chance, Sarah? Take my offer before you regret taking his."
She merely glared at him, and he sighed mournfully. "Ah, such is the wisdom of youth. Very well, then, as you wish. I shall see you in three days."
A little later, in the North Tower…
The guard unlocked the great metal door for her, and Sarah stepped through hesitantly. "Hello?" she called.
Jareth turned from where he had been standing at the window, looking out at the night. Relief was plain on his face. "I was beginning to wonder whether my cousin had locked you up, too."
Sarah chuckled ironically. "No…I think he had a different sort of prison in mind for me."
"Really? Do tell."
"Well…" She settled herself comfortably in the same chair she'd used on her last visit. "He basically tried to hypnotize me, told me that you were just going to use me, and tried to get me to be his Champion instead. Oh, yeah, and I think he also was trying to seduce me. Not sure about that one. That's the short version, anyway."
Jareth's face had grown darker with every word. "And you told him?"
"Err…" Her cheeks warmed. "I didn't exactly tell him much. I sort of let the plate of food in his face do the talking."
"You what?" His eyebrow raised. "You…did you…"
"Yeah, that was the gist of it."
Jareth threw his head back and laughed, and laughed. The laughter shook his whole body, and made him seem years and years younger. Sarah, bemused, just sat back in her chair and waited for it to be over.
Finally, the King regained control of himself, and straightened up. He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes with a gloved hand. "I cannot remember the last time I laughed like that. For that I thank you, Sarah."
"You're welcome." She grinned. "Although I'm not sure I want to make you do that again. It was a little frightening."
"Perhaps, but I needed it. And picturing my cousin with his face covered in food was certainly worthy."
They sat quiet for a moment, Jareth still catching his breath, before Sarah spoke again. "Why was Hamel trying to get me to Champion him? If I bailed out on you, wouldn't the whole thing be over?"
Jareth frowned. "Not quite. It's a rare event, but if the Champion can be persuaded to fight for the other side, then the Challenge goes forward as scheduled. The difference in this case would be that I would retain control of the Labyrinth, and if you succeeded in solving it, Hamel would automatically take the throne."
"That almost seems like a better way, though. Since you're the one with the rightful claim to the throne, shouldn't you be in the stronger position?"
His frown was replaced by an ironic smirk. "You would think, but among my kind, losing your throne in the first place is a sign of weakness…so the burden falls to the deposed monarch, to prove that he or she is still worthy to hold it."
"I hate to say this…but…should I pretend to fight for him, and intentionally lose? You could just make the Labyrinth too hard to solve…"
Even as she spoke, Jareth was shaking his head. "No. You would have to want to fight for him, for the rules to take effect. There is a transfer of magic – it's too involved to explain – that will only work under certain circumstances. So, no double-crossing. Nevertheless, it was a good thought."
"Well, I am your Champion. It's my job to find the best way to fight for you."
She yawned, covering her mouth with a hand, and Jareth smiled. "You must be tired. Go to bed – we'll talk more in the morning. Did Hamel tell you when the Challenge is?"
"Three days."
"Good. That's enough time for me to tell you what you need to know."
She yawned again. "I was supposed to meet Hoggle and Didymus, later…"
"Don't worry. I'll send them a message to talk to you in the morning instead."
"Can you do that?"
"I'm much less limited within the space of the castle walls. It's on my side," he said cryptically. She was too tired to ask him what he meant.
They both stood, and he walked her to the door. "Have breakfast with me tomorrow," he invited. "I'll make sure that they bring food you can eat."
The King's eyes were laughing, and she was sure that he had at least some idea of what she had been served at dinner. "That's a deal."
"Good. Sleep well, Sarah."
As she lifted her hand to knock on the door, she felt a tug on her other hand. The King had taken it, and she watched as he lifted it, lightly brushing his lips across the back. She swallowed hard, watching him study her intently.
"Thank you," he murmured. She wasn't sure what he was thanking her for, and wasn't sure she wanted to know.
"Good night," she managed, and stumbled out the door.
She's back in the ballroom, again, only this time, the room is empty. It seems as if the ball has yet to be held: the music is playing, and the refreshments are laid out, yet she is alone in the room.
Not for long. Boot heels click on the tiled floor, and he is there, crossing from the opposite corner of the room. She stands still, letting him approach.
"I hope you don't mind," he says, when he is close enough. "I couldn't resist, now that you know it's me. And it's so much easier to send the dreams when you're in the castle."
"Are you awake?"
"Oh, no."
She gestures. "So all this…is your imagination? How do you…?"
"Call it part dream, part fantasy, part wish, and part memory, if you like. Perhaps one day I'll be able to teach you the magic, and you can choose where we go. But in the meantime…may I have this dance?"
She graciously extends her hand to him. "You may."
He sweeps her around the ballroom, executing grand turns and long steps, taking advantage of the absence of others. Back in the real world, in the castle, they have much more serious things to worry about, but here, they can be…carefree.
Their dance slows, gradually, until the movements are minute, and they stare into one another's eyes, as they always do at the end of their dance.
"You said Hamel tried to seduce you," he murmurs in her ear. Small tingles creep up her spine.
"Yes…" she breathes. "I couldn't stand it."
"You have no idea," he whispers, "how glad I am to hear that."
His cheek rubs against hers as he moves his head, and she realizes that the kiss, the one she's been wanting for eight years but has never gotten, not even in dreams, is going to happen.
"Jareth…" she says, but then her words are cut off. His kiss is soft on her mouth, and only lasts for a moment, but it's one of the best she's ever had.
As he pulls back, she murmurs, "Why haven't you ever done that before?"
He quirks a smile at her. "You were never really sure you wanted me to, even in dreams…and so I couldn't until you were sure. It is…nice…to know that your feelings have changed."
It's hard to think, with him still near and holding her. She isn't sure she's ready to deal with this set of new possibilities, particularly with everything else. "Jareth – we, um, we might want to take it slow…we both have a lot to do…"
He searches her face, and nods. "Very well, then – we shall go our separate ways for now, into our separate dreams, and I will see you in the morning. But this is not over, Sarah."
"No." She smiles at him, reaching up to touch his face. "It's not over by a long shot."
