Jareth stood by the bed, gazing down at Sarah as she slept. Her face was peaceful now, not a convoluted mess of confusion like it had been. He resisted the urge to touch her, afraid that he'd wake her and then have to deal with her anger once more.
He stepped outside the room, ignoring Hoggle's expectant face and turned to the large goblin standing there. "I want to know the minute she's awake." The goblin nodded quickly and Jareth smiled, walking away.
"What do you want, Hogwart? I'm a very busy man." He could hear the dwarf following behind him and stopped, crouching to look into his eyes.
"Well, uh, it's just, uh, Miss Sarah..." he stuttered, glancing down.
"Oh, she'll be alright. I'm going to fix this, you'll see." He patted the dwarf's cheek as he stood.
"You're going to send her home?" His incredulous tone grated on Jareth's nerves.
"Home? I suppose that is where she's going to end up." He grinned slyly, leaning down into the dwarf's face. "But you know the funny thing about homes, Hoggle? You never know where you're going to find one." He laughed as he walked off, leaving a very concerned Hoggle in his wake.
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Sarah found herself in an open field, sitting among an endless sea of wildflowers. How long have I been asleep? And where am I? She stood , turning slowly to take in her surroundings.
The grass looked nothing like the grass outside the Goblin City...and the trees weren't as close. How did I get here? Her thought was interrupted as she caught sight of someone in the trees.
Sarah squinted, raising her hand to shade her eyes from the glaring sun. It's him! She dropped her hand in shock, staring across the field as he moved towards her.
"Hello." His voice was cautious, less confident than she knew it to be. The closer he got, the more confused she became. He's just a child!
"Could you please help me? I...I hurt my arm." He gestured to his left arm and Sarah saw the blood that stained his sleeve. She stepped toward him, reaching out to gingerly touch him arm. "I don't know what I can do to help."
He flinched slightly at her touch and she pulled her hand back, afraid she'd hurt him. "I'm sorry." She murmured, looking at his face. Apprehension shone through his eyes as he studied her face carefully.
"We should clean this. There's a stream right over there." She pointed , confused at how she knew that. She moved towards where the stream was supposed to be and then paused as she realized that he wasn't following.
He stood still, eyes downcast. Sarah waited, unsure of what to do. "My father told me not to trust mortals. He says they're not trustworthy." His voice was barely audible. "I'm not even supposed to be here."
"Well then, let's get that cleaned up and get you back before he realizes." She smiled brightly at him and was rewarded with a tentative smile. "I'm Sarah."
"I'm Jareth." He replied, mismatched eyes twinkling.
Sarah awoke with a start, sitting straight up, trying to remember. What was that? Why did I have another strange dream about Jareth?
She felt the soft mattress beneath her and realized that she was in a bed. Sliding off, she felt cool stone beneath her toes. I must be back in the castle again. She made her way across the room and felt curtains, tugging them aside to peer out at the night sky. How much time do I have before I pass over into my world again?
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Jareth leaned against the desk, his head hanging down as he thought. The dreams were so vivid but it had been thousands of years and so much had happened inbetweeen.
Why now? Why this Sarah? He closed his eyes, fighting the irritation that flooded him. He didn't like remembering, not that part of his life. But maybe-
A knock sounded at the door, breaking his concentration. "Your Majesty, she's awake." came a goblin's raspy voice. Jareth straightened, smoothing his jacket. "It's about time."
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Sarah leaned against the window sill, staring out at the moon. The goblin guard had refused to let her out but at least he'd had the decency to bring a candle into the room.
The cool breeze soothed her and she closed her eyes, once again trying to understand the dream. There was so much that she didn't understand but she knew it all came back to one thing - magic.
The door creaked open behind her but she didn't move. She knew it was Jareth - not for any particular reason, she just did. He stopped, standing slightly behind her.
"You're awake." His voice was low, devoid of an emotion. Sarah was suspicious, no matter what happened, Jareth was always expressive in some way.
Opening her eyes, she turned to face him. Tilting her head, she leaned against the window as she studied him. He looked exhausted, his face paler than before and dark circles gathering under his eyes.
He looked away from her, pretending to study the burning candle. "I think I may have figured out how to send you back."
"Oh, I see." Her eyes dropped to the stone floor, a barrage of emotions flooding her. She missed her family but her heart ached at the thought of never returning. What's wrong with me?
Shifting her weight, she glanced back at Jareth, his back still to her. She recalled the boy in her dreams and couldn't help but compare him with the Jareth before her. What happened to him? She wondered, watching him carefully.
"Why did your father tell you not to trust mortals?" She murmured to herself. Suddenly, Jareth stiffened, his fist clenching. "What did you say?" He spun to face her, his eyes dancing angrily. "How do you know that?"
"I...I..." Sarah paused, frightened by the wild look in his eyes. Wetting her lips, she forced the words out. "I dreamed about it. I saw you in the field, outside the forest. You were wounded and asked me for help...then I woke up."
He stared at her incredulously. No...that's impossible.Jareth's eyes narrowed. "Is this the first time?"
"No." Sarah shook her head slightly, her voice still low. "When I woke up in the study, I dreamed about you then too."
"Hmm." His eyes cooled and he relaxed, rubbing his jaw as he thought. "This does change things."