AN: As always, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! and thank you in advance for any reviews, follows, and favorites! Means the world to me!
Sarah didn't remember falling asleep but she must have because when she came around again, she found herself laying across the familiar floral couch in her parent's lounge.
The television was on and a late-night game show was playing. It was one she used to enjoy watching before she'd wished herself away, but now watching it just felt odd and unfamiliar to her.
She glanced around the room, noticing how quite a few things had changed since she'd been here a few months ago. Well, a few months ago for her, but two years ago for them.
She noticed that the walls had been stripped from the sixties orange and brown flowered wallpaper and had been replaced with simple cream paint.
A few family photos decorated the freshly painted walls. A couple of the photographs she recognized from before she left. There was one of herself and Merlin at the park, and there was one of her late Grandma but aside from that, all the pictures were new.
There were a lot of pictures of Toby and a few of Karen and Robert, as well. Many of the photos were taken from family vacations and holiday seasons, which made Sarah feel a little bit odd.
She tried not to feel like she was in a stranger's home, but almost everything in the room was unfamiliar to her. Even the carpet had been changed she noticed, with an odd pang of sadness in her heart.
Looking away from pictures hanging on the walls, Sarah turned her attention towards the traditionally decorated Christmas tree.
At least the tree was the same.
But even the pretty twinkle of fairy lights didn't cheer Sarah up. She felt so empty inside.
So hallow.
So broken.
The tears forming in her eyes blurred out the multi-colored fairy lights on the Christmas tree and she squeezed her eyes shut, turning onto her side on the couch. She felt tears trickle down her cheek and quickly wiped them away on the blanket she'd been covered over with at some point.
She stayed like that until she heard the lounge door open. She didn't move to see who'd entered and it was only when she heard the familiar sigh slip past Karen's lips that she realized it was her who'd entered and was now watching her.
Wiping her eyes on the blanket again, she turned slightly to gaze up at her stepmother.
Karen looked the same as she had when she'd last seen her. She was dressed in her short silk navy polka dot robe and matching slippers. Her hair up in pink rollers.
"Well, hello stranger..." Karen said. While her tone wasn't unfriendly, it wasn't exactly friendly either.
"H-Hi, Karen..." Sarah replied in a quiet, broken voice.
"I hope you're grateful, young lady. I had the unpleasant task of undressing you from your soaking wet and puke-covered clothes."
Sarah swallowed hard. She had no memory of Karen helping her change out of her clothes. Had she passed out?
"I- T-thank you..." she said, stuttering nervously. She couldn't quite believe how uncomfortable she felt being back here. it was strange considering she'd lived under this roof all her life aside from the few months where she'd lived in the Underground. "I'm sorry that you had to do that."
"Yes, so I am, quite frankly," Karen said, folding her arms over her chest. "It's not exactly the best way to say hello after two years of living away."
Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away from her stepmother, her eyes focusing on the door. She found herself wondering where her father was and if he was going to come back and see her. She wasn't really sure why, but she felt like she needed him near her right now.
Before Sarah had a chance to ask, Karen answered her unspoken question. "Your Father is helping Diane set up a mattress on the floor for you. If you'd have let us know sooner that you were coming back, we could have been more prepared and had it all ready for when you got back."
"Oh, I- I'm sorry... I just, I didn't think I'd be here so soon..." She felt the lump of emotion form in her throat again and she fought back the tears that threatened to start all over again.
Karen took no notice of her obvious sadness; instead, she turned her attention towards the television, watching as the game show results appeared on the screen.
Sarah knew that Karen didn't really know how to deal with emotions, especially not when it came to her emotions. And that was fine. Sarah had to admit that she didn't exactly want Karen to watch her crying, either.
A few minutes passed in awkward silence until Karen finally spoke up again. "I did try to warn you, Sarah. I tried to warn you of what would happen if you left home at such a young age. Your father put up no fight to keep you here; he knew you'd go whether or not he disagreed."
Sarah frowned and sat up slowly. She felt incredibly weak, but Karen didn't even try to help her get comfortable.
When Sarah met Karen's gaze, she was quite taken aback to see such coldness staring back at her, it really was shocking to behold.
It had been two years since Karen had seen her; could she really still dislike her so much?
Before Sarah had a chance to respond, Karen continued. "You threw yourself into that man's arms and look what he's done to you. Or rather, look what you've done to yourself."
Sarah blinked, shocked by her stepmother's harsh words. "Karen...I-"
"Sarah!"
Sarah looked towards the doorway and felt tears poll in her eyes again. Standing there in pink and white flowery pajamas, stood Diane. Her wild curly hair was pulled up into a messy bun, but a few ringlets hung around her heart-shaped face. She looked the same as Sarah remembered her, only her face had thinned out a little and her body had matured with her age.
Even though Diane's cries had interrupted her before she had gotten a chance to finish her conversation with Karen, Sarah felt beyond relieved to see Diane rushing towards her, big tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Sarah! Oh my god, I never thought I'd see you again!" Diane wailed, falling to her knees on the carpeted floor by the couch. She pulled Sarah into a tight embrace, sobbing into her dark hair.
"Diane..." Sarah whispered, tears flowing freely down her cheeks now as she held onto her best friend for dear life.
She had missed Diane so much but she hadn't realized just how much it had pained her until now.
Robert came to stand in the doorway with a sad smile on his face as he watched his daughter and her best friend embrace. He hadn't felt whole since Sarah had left. But now that she was back, he finally felt like that big gaping hole in his heart was filled again.
"Is the blow-up mattress set up?" Karen asked Robert quietly.
"Yes." He replied, his smile never faltering as he continued to watch the two females embrace. "God, Karen...isn't this wonderful? I'm so relieved that she's back..." He whispered joyfully as slipped his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close to his side.
Karen's eyes narrowed as she felt the twinges of jealousy filling her heart. "Yes, I suppose." She said, coldly. "Although, it wouldn't have hurt her to give us some proper notice. What if she'd come back when we had guests? Or what if we'd been planning on doing something this week?"
Robert chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "Nonsense... this is her home and she is welcome back into it whenever she needs it – guests be damned! My daughter comes first."
Karen chewed her lip and looked back at Sarah and Diane, that familiar feeling of jealousy flowing through her as she watched them.
"Well, I don't have all night to sit around and catch up with Sarah's life, so I'm going to bed."
Robert nodded but didn't take his eyes off Sarah even as he replied. "Yes, honey, you go to bed, it's very late. I should be up to join you shortly."
Sarah finally pulled back from her hug with Diane and glanced over at her father. "Dad." She whispered as another tear rolled down her cheek.
Robert gave his daughter a sympathetic smile and crossed the room, taking a seat on the sofa next to her, then pulled her tightly into his arms, hugging her close.
He whispered her name, gently stroking her long dark hair. "I've missed you so much, honey..."
"I've missed you too, Dad..." She sobbed, clutching him close.
Karen glared at them, then turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs to bed.
It was almost 2 am when Robert had finally helped Sarah climb up the stairs to bed. They'd spent a few hours updating each other on what had been going on in their lives, although Sarah had to be very careful about what she told him, which was very frustrating as a part of her really wanted to tell him the truth about everything, but he would never believe her if she did, so she kept most of the details to herself and simply told him that she and Jareth had had a nasty breakup but didn't want to go into details as it was still too upsetting to talk about.
Robert had respected that, but still asked her a few questions about it. Luckily Sarah managed to wriggle her way out of certain questions and she made up simple answers to his others that weren't quite so intrusive.
It had been hard to speak about Jareth and her life before they'd broken up. She had ended up breaking down in tears more than once during their conversation. Diane and Robert had been very kind to her and did their best to comfort her.
It was only when Robert realized how tired Sarah looked that he told her they'd spoken quite enough for one evening and that they could speak more in-depth once she'd had some proper sleep.
Sarah had agreed and allowed him and Diane to help her upstairs.
"I didn't know if you were ever coming home, so I did end up making a few changes to your room," Diane said apologetically, her voice lowered so she didn't wake Toby or Karen.
Sarah reassured her that it was fine and she didn't mind that she'd made changes.
When they reached the door, Diane turned the handle, allowing Sarah and Robert into the room.
Diane really had changed a lot of things in the time that she'd been here. All of the personal belongings Sarah had left behind had been packed away into boxes and were stored away in the closet.
She had hung up new curtains dressed the bed in purple velvet and had added a few band posters to the walls, hung up her own clothes in the closet, and hidden Sarah's away in a suitcase under the bed.
Sarah noticed a lot of the toys games and books she'd left behind had also disappeared.
She swallowed hard as she stood in her bedroom. It didn't even feel like the room she remembered, but honestly? it didn't really matter to her right now. She still felt so incredibly numb towards anything but her own heartache.
Robert helped her to sit down on the edge of the bed.
He'd noticed the blank expression on her face when she'd entered her room and it worried him. Normally she would freak out if she found anything out of place in her bedroom, but now she looked as if her things were the last thing on her mind.
Robert gently stroked some hair from her face. "Everything is going to be alright, now, Sarah...I promise it will be." He told her, his words gentle and genuine.
Sarah met her father's eyes and felt her own well-up again. But she took a deep shaky breath and managed to hold back her tears. She'd already cried enough in front of him tonight. "Thank you, Dad..."
Robert pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Do you need anything before I go to bed?"
Sarah shook her head, "I'll be fine..."
Diane wrapped a fluffy blanket around Sarah's shoulders and sat next to her on the bed. "I'm here to take care of her if she does need anything. You go to bed and get some sleep."
Robert nodded his thanks, then gently kissed Sarah's forehead. "I'm only in the next room if you do need anything. Goodnight, sweetheart. Goodnight, Diane."
Diane smiled and they both watched as Robert left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Once Diane heard the door to his own bedroom close, she let out a heavy sigh and glanced at Sarah who still had tears in her eyes and looked a little worse for wear.
"So..." Diane started, shifting into a cross-legged position on the single bed. "do I get to hear the real story about what happened?"
Sarah glanced over at Diane, slowly shaking her head. "I...I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it yet..." she admitted, swallowing hard.
"That's fine," Diane assured her, reaching over to gently rub her shoulder. "When you are ready, you know I'll be here to listen..."
"Thank you..."
Diane scooted off the bed and pulled back the blankets. "I insist that you take the bed, Sarah. You need it more than I do."
Sarah shot her with a watery smile. Diane was being so kind to her even though she hadn't seen her in so long. "Are you sure? I feel bad for taking your bed..."
"Sarah, it's actually your bed and even if it wasn't, I want you to take it. I'll take the mattress on the floor."
Sarah thanked her gratefully then climbed into the bed. Her single mattress was quite old and uncomfortable, not to mention small. She could even feel a spring sticking into her lower back. Not only that, but it felt incredibly odd to lie down in her bed in the bedroom she'd grown up in after spending so many nights sleeping in the huge comfortable bed she shared with Jareth in his grand chambers.
As the thoughts of Jareth flowed into her mind again, she felt tears cloud her vision.
Diane noticed her tears and she gently stroked her dark hair. "I'm so sorry for everything you've been through..." Diane said, solemnly. "I know it's late, but do you want a glass of wine? I brought a bottle up here earlier and some snacks."
"I couldn't possibly eat... "
"Then just some wine? Come on, I insist." She didn't wait for Sarah to answer; instead, she leaned over the bed and pulled the bottle of wine out from under it.
Sarah watched as Diane popped the cork out and poured the contents into two tumblers she had waiting on the bedside table.
"Here." She said, handing Sarah her glass.
Sarah took it, thanking her quietly before taking a long drink. She enjoyed the warm burn as it slid down her throat.
They were silent for a few minutes until Diane noticed Sarah starring at the statue on her vanity. It was one of the only things of Sarah's that she hadn't packed away in the attic. She'd thought it was quite cool and unusual, so she'd kept it out.
But why was Sarah looking at it as if it was her long lost love?
Suddenly, everything made sense.
She hadn't believed Sarah's breakup story at first, she'd thought it had been Sarah's cover story! But looking at her now, Diane realized there was truth in what she'd told them.
"You're in love with him, aren't you?"
Sarah sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I didn't mean for it to happen..."
Diane put down her glass and shifted closer to Sarah, her eyes wide with interest. "So then... this breakup story wasn't just a cover for what was actually going on while you were in the Underground?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Sarah took another long drink. She really hadn't wanted to go into any details tonight. She'd only left Jareth a few hours ago and the wound was still fresh.
But she realized if she talked about it now, it meant she wouldn't have to tomorrow.
She held out her glass, a signal for Diane to refill it.
"If we're going to talk about it, I'll need more." She said, watching as Diane grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass without a second thought.
Sarah took another sip and then leaned back into the pillows. "It wasn't a cover story... I did breakup with the Goblin King tonight." She whispered, swallowing hard.
She still couldn't say his name.
"I'm so sorry! Tell me how it happened?"
And so, Sarah told her everything. Not just about the breakup, but about everything that had happened from the moment she got there to the moment she left. Diane listened intently, her big blue eyes wide and full of interest.
Several times Sarah broke down in tears, but Diane would refill her glass and rub her back to comfort her in the only way she knew how, and eventually, Sarah would stop crying and continue her story.
When she'd finally told her everything, Diane let out a sad sigh. "My god... Sarah, I'm so sorry..."
"I don't need pity," Sarah replied, watching her friend as she filled both their glasses with the last few drops of wine. "I just...can't believe how everything has turned out. I thought...I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world, Diane." She couldn't help the way her voice broke when saying this.
"What makes this even worse is that I still love him...and I don't know how I'm going to live without him." She sobbed, clutching her blanket to her face to drown out the sounds of her sobs. It was past 3 am and she didn't want to wake Toby.
Diane shifted closer to her on the bed, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. "Hey... it's going to be okay, Sar. I know you don't feel like it will, but everything will be okay in the end. Breakups are always so hard." She said, gently pulling her friend's dark locks from her face. "And this is probably worse than a breakup for you... since you engaged to marry him."
"It's not just hard, Diane...I feel so broken..." She sobbed, clutching Diane's arm tightly.
Diane pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her hair. "You're not broken...you're just cracked. And with time, the little pieces of your heart will mend themselves back together again. You'll find joy again and you'll learn to love again. Time is the best healer."
Sarah sniffed and glanced up at her. "Y-you sound as if you speak from experience?"
Diane nodded slowly, her eyes filled with sadness and regret."Yeah...I do."
Sarah wiped her eyes and sat up straight again, eager to hear what had happened to her friend.
Diane sighed. "Just before you left I told you that Eddie asked me out, right?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah?"
"Well... it got pretty intense and before either of us realized it, we were in love. I moved into his flat and we were happy for about a year and a half." She shifted on the bed, bringing her knees up to her chin.
"But things became strained between us... he started going out... staying out till late almost every night. I didn't question it at first, but then he didn't come home at night at all! I got paranoid. Anyway, I found out that he'd been sleeping around with other women, and he was using our money to buy drugs. I was heartbroken... we broke up and I left that same night. I moved back in with my mum, but she and dad split up the year before so they'd sold the house. I was sleeping in mum's one-bedroom flat on the couch, but we had a massive falling out... that's when I came here. Your dad and stepmother were really kind and told me I could move in until I sorted my life out again."
Sarah swallowed hard as she took Diane's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Diane... I'm so sorry this happened. I wish I could have been here for you..."
Diane smiled, gently squeezing Sarah's hand in return to reassure her. "Don't apologize. I've mostly recovered from my heartbreak just as you will in time."
Sarah wasn't so sure about that. The love she'd felt for Jareth had been strong and passionate. She couldn't even imagine loving somebody as much as she loved him. But she offered Diane a weak smile, anyway.
Diane sighed. "I never thought life would bring us this much heartache... I had visions of us traveling and doing fun shit when we left school! Just proves that we never know what's going to happen in life."
Sarah glanced down at her hand, studying her ring finger with tears in her eyes. In some ways, she was glad Jareth hadn't had the chance to give her a ring. If he had, she wouldn't have taken it off and it would have forever stayed on her finger.
"Yeah... I would never have been able to predict this amount of pain."
Diane stretched out on the bed again, yawning softly. "You did what you had to do... even though things didn't turn out how you wanted them to; at least you followed your heart. There must have been a reason for you going to the Underground."
"I'm sure..." Sarah muttered weakly. "Though I can't bring myself to sound as positive about it as you do."
"It's still too fresh for you... with time you'll feel as I do."
It was very late by the time Sarah and Diane finally went to bed. Diane fell asleep quickly, but Sarah tossed and turned for about an hour before sleep finally took her again.
And even in the depths of sleep, Sarah dreamt of the man she'd been meant to marry.
He was twirling her around on the dance floor within the crystal ballroom. Once again she was dressed in that huge white dress and Jareth was wearing his blue-tailed coat covered in diamonds and gems.
As they danced, they stared into each other's eyes. She could feel the warmth of Jareth's hand on her waist, keeping her close to him as they swayed together in a perfect rhythm.
Sarah lost herself to him in that dance. She moved and swayed with him, allowing him to lead her and spin her amongst the others on the dance floor.
She kept her eyes on his and within them, she found peace and trust.
She felt safe.
Jareth dipped in over his arm in time with the rhythm of the music and Sarah willingly allowed it, closing her eyes, she basked in the feeling of being completely safe in his arms...
Sarah's eyes shot open as she felt sharp agonizing pains in her chest. Her lips parted in a silent cry as she felt him reach into her chest, pulling out her pumping heart.
She felt the warmth of her own blood rolling down her neck and soaking into her dress.
And even as her breath started to leave her body, she watched as Jareth allowed her to drop to the floor. He smirked down at her, holding her beating heart in his bloody leather-gloved hand...
Aiden knew the moment the weather changed for the worse that something had gone wrong.
He took no time in waiting to discover what had happened, instead, he used magic to transport himself outside of Jareth's chambers.
He knocked twice but entered without permission when he heard no response from the other side.
What greeted him upon entering was shocking even for Aiden, who'd seen many an upsetting image in his long life.
Jareth was sat on the edge of his bed with his hands over his face. The room was dark and cold, no fire burning in the hearth and only one candle lighting up the darkness.
"Sire?" He approached Jareth, trying not to stumble and fall in the darkness.
Jareth remained silent but he removed his hands from his face, allowing Aiden to see the shine of tears on his cheeks.
"She's gone." He whispered, so quietly Aiden almost missed it.
"What?"
"Sarah. She's gone..." He repeated, numbly.
Aiden stood there starring at his King who looked completely distraught. His hair was messier than usual and his clothes were disheveled and dirty. Aiden guessed just from his appearance that he'd been out in his owl form for quite a few hours.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Aiden asked, hoping with all his heart that he'd misunderstood what Jareth was saying.
"She found Lilium's letter...she read my journal. She knows about the plan we made to overpower her..." His voice broke as he spoke and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to compose himself.
Aiden swallowed hard and lowered himself down into the chair opposite the bed, stunned by what he'd heard.
Sarah was gone.
"What did she say?" Aiden asked quietly.
"Several things that I do not wish to repeat... what does it matter now, anyway... she's gone back to her world and she'll never come back..."
Aiden rubbed his forehead. He found himself panicking with this news. Sarah had been their key to a better Kingdom and without her, they really were doomed.
"How?" He asked, "how did she get back?"
"She wished herself back. And as the champion to the Labyrinth, I couldn't deny her wish."
Aiden scrubbed his face with his hands and rose to his feet again. In his frustration, he kicked over the chair he'd just been sitting in. "Fuck! I can't believe this!"
Jareth blinked in surprise. Aiden never let his temper get the better of him, so to see him act this way was shocking.
"I can't believe she'd just wish herself away and leave us here when she knows that she and she alone is the key to fixing the Kingdom! How could she be so selfish?!" Aiden raged, his temper boiling over. Normally he managed to keep calm in these sorts of situations, but right now he felt nothing but anger and hopelessness. He'd thought things were getting better. He'd thought there was finally hope. A light at the end of the dark tunnel they'd been walking down.
Jareth arose then, his expression unreadable as he stood before his adviser. "How can you blame Sarah for leaving? We conspired against her! We used her for the connection she has to the Labyrinth! We are the ones in the wrong here, not Sarah. It was us who were selfish."
"We weren't selfish; we were trying to save an entire Kingdom from starvation!" He argued. Why on earth was Jareth not seeing this clearly?
Jareth glanced towards the window, looking out at the blustery snowstorm that whipped around the castle, causing the windows to shake and clatter against the rough wind."I broke her heart and she had every right to leave me... even though it pains me beyond words to be without her, I cannot blame her for wishing to return to her world."
Aiden sighed and threw himself back into the chair he hadn't kicked over. He couldn't help it, but he was still angry.
Angered by Aiden's behavior, Jareth glared at him. "Let me give you time to get over your heartache." He spat, and then stormed from the room without another word.
Aiden groaned when he realized how awful he had just been to his friend and King.
Jareth had just lost the love of his life, his lover and future Queen! And here he was focusing on matters that weren't as important right now. Jareth needed him now more than ever and he hadn't even tried to comfort him. Not even when he'd seen the tears on his cheeks.
The guilt he felt overcame the anger he'd been feeling only moments ago, and he stood, rushing to find Jareth and apologize for the way he'd acted.
Jareth stormed out of the castle even as he heard Aiden call after him. He didn't want to talk anymore and he didn't want to see anybody.
He just needed to be by himself for a while.
As he pushed past the guards and stepped outside into the deep snow, he didn't even feel the icy air that whistled around his thin frame.
He felt too angry to be cold.
He wasn't angry at Sarah or even Aiden. No, he was angry at himself. Angry at himself for the way he'd treated Lilium. Angry for the devastation he'd caused his Kingdom. Angry for breaking the heart of the woman he loved most in the entire world.
Sarah was pure of heart and he was a man fraught with imperfection. He'd made so many mistakes, broken too many hearts, let down his Kingdom, and failed in his duty and now he'd broken his very reason for living.
He didn't blame her for leaving. He blamed himself.
Even as he walked through the thick snow, his heart hurting so much he almost couldn't breathe, he knew he was getting what he deserved. He deserved to feel this pain. For hadn't he caused Sarah, Lilium, and many other women this same pain before?
Yes, now it was his time to feel the effects of a broken heart.
Through the storm, Jareth could just make out the sound of Aiden's voice, calling him back from the large castle doors.
Jareth ignored him and continued walking toward the Labyrinth. In truth, he wasn't even certain why he was heading in the direction of The Labyrinth but he continued on and on until he was stood right before it.
Carefully he placed his hand against the stone, feeling the familiar tingle as his magic began weaving in with the magic of the Labyrinth itself.
His brows rose in surprise when the ancient stone walls suddenly began to dissolve in front of him, creating an entrance so that he could step inside.
Jareth hadn't been inside the Labyrinth since Sarah had won. Would it really be safe to go inside now? He'd only just begun to master his connection to it again, after all.
But as Jareth stood there, feeling quite small and so powerless in comparison to the mighty being that was the Labyrinth; he knew he couldn't deny the pull any longer. It was practically calling him, inviting him inside for the first time in five years.
He wasn't sure what would happen when he walked within its walls again, but he knew he had to do it and if the power of the Labyrinth was too much for him, then so be it.
Carefully, Jareth stepped in through the entrance in the wall, listening to the sound of the rocks as they fused themselves back together behind him.
The moment he set foot on the stone floor, he felt a jolt of electric-like magic run through him.
Suddenly his entire being was buzzing with magic. He could feel it flowing up through his toes, into his legs, and up higher and higher until he felt a tingling sensation at the top of his head.
Taken aback by the amount of power he felt buzzing through him, he pressed his back against the wall, leaning his weight against it as he tried to get used to the feeling of such strong magic rushing through him again.
"Jareth..."
Jareth was a little taken aback by the familiar voice he heard echoing in his mind.
"Do not be alarmed, son... we mean you no harm."
Jareth placed his hand over his heart. "Father?" He whispered."Is it you?"
"Yes, son...and your Mother is here too." He replied, softly.
Jareth swallowed the lump of emotion that formed like a rock in the back of his throat. "Why can't I see you both?" He asked once he'd managed to get hold of his emotions somewhat.
"As much as we would have liked to show ourselves to you, we knew words were needed much more this day. Unfortunately, we cannot do both until your magic is fully restored."
Jareth's mind was cast back to when Sarah told him of how she had seen the ghost of his mother but hadn't been able to hear or speak to her. Did that mean Sarah didn't hold enough power within her to channel both sound and vision either?
Even thinking of Sarah again brought back another wave of heartache and both of his parents seemed to feel it too.
"We know what happened this day, son." Said his father, his voice deep and calming just as he remembered it.
"I have been such a fool..." Jareth whispered solemnly as he lowered his head in shame. "I love her so much but I broke her heart and her trust. And now she's gone forever."
"Nothing is gone forever, Jareth." His mother told him gently.
Jareth had never met his mother before. She'd died after giving birth to him, so the closest he'd gotten to seeing her was in the portrait his Father had kept of her. He'd never heard her voice, and yet hearing it now felt so familiar and safe to him. Though, he wasn't certain why.
"I just miss her so much already... and I wish I had handled things better." He admitted after a few moments. "But I don't blame her for leaving."
"Time is the best healer, son. Give her time to grieve and get over the pain, and then go to her." His father said.
Jareth shook his head. "Father, I can't go to her. Not without her wishing me to her... so you see, I can do nothing, now. I've missed my chance."
"You haven't missed your chance, son. Yes, you made mistakes, but you were honorable towards her. You cared for her and you sent her home when she wished it. You apologized and admitted your wrongdoings. One day, when Sarah has had time to heal, she'll want you back."
"You cannot be certain of that, Father. Sarah wished herself back to her world because she couldn't even bear the sight of me anymore. She told me I wasn't the man she'd thought I was... and she's right. I'm not."
"But she did fall in love with you. Yes, you tricked her and a lot of the things you did purposefully to make her love you, but when you were together - when you started to love her back - you were you. Genuine and open with your feelings towards her. Yes, you have darkness within you and you always will, but you also have goodness. Goodness so bright it could blind someone. Sarah might not realize it yet, but she loves you for your dark just as much as she loves you for your light."
Jareth frowned. Sarah loved him for his darkness? He wasn't sure about that, but he decided not to question his Father. He probably knew more than he did, anyway.
"I wish I could find myself again, but I feel so empty...I'm barely alive without her near me..." Jareth admitted, sinking to the ground that was covered in a thick layer of snow. "Help me find myself..." He begged, suddenly pushing his egotistical traits aside and allowing himself to be vulnerable.
"To find yourself again, you must first forgive yourself for your wrongdoings. If you don't forgive yourself for the things you've done, how can you expect anybody else to? Jareth, be the best King you can be. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your subjects; to your friends... you'll be surprised at the joy you'll find in doing things for others." His mother told him softly.
Jareth knew she was right and he nodded his head in agreement, thanking them both for their words of wisdom and advice.
"I love you, my boy... I will always be here to guide you if you feel lost. You need never feel alone, again..." She whispered soothingly.
Jareth felt a warmth inside his heart and knew it was his Mothers loving energy surrounding him. "Thank you, truly..."
"We must depart now, son. We don't wish to exhaust you too much with our energy, but we'll stick near you. If you should feel the need for our comfort, we'll be there." Said his father.
Jareth couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that his time with his parents was over already, but he knew they were right. Already his body was exhausted from channeling the energy of both his parents and from being inside the Labyrinth at the same time.
"Thank you both for the things you have said and the advice you have given. I mean it... I'm grateful."
"We know, son..."
Before Jareth had even a chance to reply, the connection to his parents was gone and suddenly he realized just how cold he actually was.
He rose to his feet, groaning softly with the effort it took for him to stand upright again. He had to keep his hand on the wall to keep himself from collapsing.
He felt dizzy, disorientated, and completely drained. He wasn't even sure how he was going to make it back to the castle.
He wobbled on his unsteady feet, just managing to pass through the reappearing gap in the Labyrinth's walls before he found himself collapsing into the snow.
Jareth hadn't felt this drained in all his life and even as he tried to stand, he just couldn't muster up the energy he needed to lift himself.
Giving up, he rested his head into the cold wet snow, trying to keep calm and even out his breathing. He would be fine once he got some rest, he knew he would. The bigger problem was, how on earth was he going to get back to the castle?
He wouldn't have to wonder long, because soon a familiar figure approached him in the snow.
"Let me help."
Jareth sighed with relief when he heard Aiden's voice, and no more than a couple of seconds later, Aiden leaned down and effortlessly picked him up, putting him over his shoulder before turning back towards the castle.
It was freezing and the snowstorm only seemed to get worse as each second passed, but Aiden was just glad he'd gone looking for Jareth. If he hadn't, Jareth might have frozen to death. The idiot wasn't even wearing a cloak!
Jareth tried not to feel humiliated as Aiden carried him over his shoulder through the castle halls. A few of the goblins watched with genuine concern and surprise at seeing their King looking exhausted and so broken, swung in a boneless manner over his adviser's shoulder. Others didn't even realize it was him. But Jareth, while a little embarrassed, was mostly grateful for Aiden's help. After all, if it wasn't for him, he'd still be outside in the snow right now.
Sarah wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up. The lack of light either meant it was still night or that it was still quite early in the morning. She imaged it would be the latter.
She shifted in her single bed, listening as it groaned and creaked beneath her weight. Her back was sore from the hard mattress and her neck hurt too, but the physical pain she was experiencing was not even close to the emotional pain she still felt in her heart.
As she rubbed tired eyes, she felt the dampness of her own tears and realized she cried in her sleep.
How would she get through this? Right now she didn't know. She'd never felt like this before. Usually, she wasn't this weak broken woman, she was strong brave and independent, but now she couldn't even imagine being that strong-willed girl that had beaten the Labyrinth and told its king he had no power over her.
She turned onto her side in the bed and wept silently into her pillow.
She was going to allow herself to cry. She needed too. If she didn't, she was certain those emotions would eat her up from within and she wasn't willing to put herself through that.
She decided then and there that she was going to do her best to try not to dwell on her heartache after this cry. She wouldn't think or speak of Jareth if she could help it. All she wanted to do was get through the day the best she could. She wanted to see Toby with a smile on her face even if it was strained. She didn't want him to see her tears, so for him, she would try her hardest to find that brave side she knew must be somewhere buried deep within her.
She lay there for a while until waves of nausea swept through her.
She sat up in her bed and reached for the glass of water that sat conveniently on her nightstand. She mentally thanked whoever it was that'd left it there for her as she sipped it slowly, finding a little relief as the cool liquid slipped down her throat.
"Sar? You ok?" Diane said groggily as she raised herself from the blow-up mattress by her elbows. "You were breathing pretty heavily?"
"I'm sorry I woke you. I'm okay... just feeling a little nauseous." She whispered before taking another sip.
"Nauseous? Are you hungry?"
"No." Sarah answered quickly, "I couldn't even think of eating... I'm fine, really."
Diane yawned and sat up, stretching her arms up above her head. "As long as you're sure. What's the time?"
"I don't know. Early, I'm guessing."
Diane reached up towards the bedside cabinet and clicked on the lamp. It lit up the room and Diane grabbed the alarm clock that was face down on the cabinet from the morning previous.
"Ughhh! 6:25! I haven't been up this early since school." Diane grumbled as she shoved the alarm clock back down and threw herself back onto the mattress, covering her face with her pillows.
Despite her current state, Sarah couldn't help but smile. Diane had always hated getting up early.
"I'm used to it." She whispered, remembering her early mornings in the castle before she started her chores.
She swallowed hard and quickly pushed those thoughts aside. No, she would not think of him or her time there anymore today.
Diane lifted the pillow off her face and rubbed her tired eyes. "Fuck. I've just remembered I'm working in the coffee house at 9:00 this morning..." She grumbled, forcing herself to sit up again.
"Oh..." Sarah couldn't help but feel disappointed that Diane wouldn't be around much today. She'd been hoping for Diane's company, hoping she'd be a good distraction from her thoughts and memories of him.
"I'm really sorry, Sar... I didn't know you were coming back here until it was too late to cancel work. If I'd known sooner, I would have asked for someone to cover for me."
"Diane, it's fine. Don't feel bad. Just because I'm back here doesn't mean you should stop your life for me."
"I know... but I wanted to be here for you. If I can get off work early I will. Shall we go downstairs for some coffee?" She asked, rising to her feet and pulling on her fluffy pink robe.
Sarah couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a decent cup of coffee, and yet the promise of it didn't excite her like it usually would have done. Even she was confused by this because during her time in the Underground she had craved it every morning. She didn't understand but decided not to let it bother her.
"Yes. Although it'll be water or juice for me this morning." She said as she got up.
Diane frowned as she tossed an oversized hooded sweater in Sarah's direction. "The coffee addict doesn't want coffee? That's curious."
Sarah shrugged and pulled on the sweater. "My stomach just feels a bit off and I'd rather not make it worse."
Diane nodded in understanding. "Well, we have plenty of juice so I got you covered."
Sarah smiled at her, grateful for how caring Diane was towards her. She really was lucky to have her as a friend.
Together they left the bedroom and headed down the stairs.
Aiden filled Jareth's goblet with some more of the warm mead he'd asked for upon waking a few hours ago.
"Again, I apologize for the way I behaved when you told me about Sarah. I acted so selfishly and I am sorry for it." Aiden apologized for the third time. He still couldn't believe the things he'd said about Sarah being selfish. It was completely out of his character to act in such a way and he was ashamed of himself even if he knew his reasons for feeling that way to begin with.
Jareth raised his hand, shaking his head from side to side. "Aiden, you've apologized enough," Jareth told him before taking a sip from his goblet, enjoying the warm burn as it slid down his throat.
Aiden sighed and relaxed back into his seat. "I am sorry for how things turned out with Sarah... this might sound like a foolish question, but how do you feel?"
Jareth cast his gaze towards the blazing flames in the hearth. "Like I've lost a limb." He told him, truthfully.
Aiden sympathized with this feeling. When he'd lost Veeranna he'd felt the same way. And even though Sarah wasn't dead, she was still gone from his side and it wasn't likely that she'd ever come back.
"I understand the feeling all too well, sire." He told him.
Jareth looked back at Aiden and sighed sadly. "Yes, I suppose you do..."
They were silent for a few moments but Aiden felt Jareth's eyes on him and when he couldn't take it any longer, he met Jareth's gaze and quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I'm just... thinking." Jareth rubbed his chin, a frown troubling his handsome features. Since his chat with the spirits of his parents, he couldn't help but keep thinking of the things they'd said to him.
But it had been one sentence in particular that kept repeating in his brain.
"You'll be surprised at the joy you'll find in doing things for others..." Those words had come to his mind each time Aiden was near. Was there a reason for that? He believed there was.
"Thinking about what, sire?" Aiden asked curiously.
"About Lilium, actually." He replied. It wasn't a lie. In trying to forget his pain over Sarah, Jareth had been thinking a great deal about Lilium and Aiden and the blossoming love that had sparked between them in such a short time.
He knew Aiden was in love with her and it really didn't seem fair that he couldn't be with her. He'd lost his wife and poor little Adelaide had lost a mother. Could it be that Lilium was the woman destined to be the new wife and mother? The woman who'd mend two very sad and lonely hearts?
Aiden needed and deserved love, and little Adelaide wasn't even four yet. She needed a mother just as much as Aiden needed a wife.
Aiden blinked in surprise, shifting in his seat uncomfortably at the mention of her. Her name still caused his heart to pound in his chest.
Jareth's lips turned up into a slight smile as he studied the obvious emotions on Aiden's face.
"What - erm, what were you thinking about her?" Aiden asked, trying far too hard to sound like he wasn't affected by the subject.
Jareth leaned forward in his chair slightly. "I lost my chance with Sarah, Aiden... but you haven't lost your chance with Lily."
Aiden frowned and put his goblet down on the little table beside him. "What are you talking about, sire? You already know that Lilium is trapped in Ryrella under her father's constant watch. And that's without the magical barrier blocking us out from his Kingdom."
Jareth smirked. "I have a plan to break through the barrier. Lilium doesn't deserve the life her father is making her live. She served me and this Kingdom well. It is her home, wouldn't you agree?"
Aiden's heart pounded in his chest. What was he hearing? Were his ears deceiving him? Did Jareth really have a plan to bring Lilium back here? Even the thought made his heart pound.
In truth, he'd barely slept a wink since reading her letter.
He'd barely had a clear thought since he'd heard of how she was suffering. To break through the magical barrier would be risky, and would likely take a lot of magic to get through. Was it really worth the risk? Was it a risk he was willing to take?
Absolutely, it was.
"Yes. Yes, she does belong here." He replied.
Jareth's smile broadened. "Then let's bring her home."
AN: Yet another chapter I'm not completely happy with! What a surprise! (lol) But seriously, I hope it was okay and not a disappointment after the last. I wanted to take the time to thank you all for such lovely reviews on the last chapter! they mean so much to me and it was so nice to read how much you all liked it despite it being a super sad chapter! Thank you all! *hugs* I'll try to respond properly to all your reviews in the next chapter since it's been quite a while since I did that. For now, though, I hope you are all keeping well and I'll see you all in the next part!
By the way, Sarah's dream was inspired by Paris Jackson's new music video "Let Down". When I watched it for the first time, it gave me such Labyrinth vibes. You guys should check it out!
