Content Warning: Dark/horror themes present after the asterisks.
CHAPTER 17
Sarah was still Queen Regent despite the King's return. Any attempt to remove her medallion had proved futile. Any attempt to discuss her plan to leave had fallen on deaf ears; or rather no ears. Since the Forsythia interlude, the King had retreated to his room to rest and recover. Sevlydi would stalk off every time he saw her. Sarah resumed her task of managing goblins from the Throne Room.
It had been two days. There had been no retaliation from the rejected proposal, and still no word about Sevlydi's concerns related to Rica. He was still obviously on edge regarding that matter, but Navas remained tight-lipped. All Sarah knew was that Rica was still safe in hiding.
Sarah's current task was trying to track down the goblin that had betrayed both Sarah and Jareth to the Pinnsburrs. She hadn't had much luck with her process of elimination. The ones that she saw most frequently, such as ChipChop, Cookie, Heft, Grygiel and Cricket, had been eliminated from suspicion. She still had around thirty goblins on the suspect list. It was draining work without access to any magic, as she had to rely on others to detect the truth when she interviewed each candidate. It had been a particularly trying day as Glib had resisted magical interrogation. Naturally, this had shot him to the top of her suspect list.
Sarah groaned as another headache, threatened to turn her brain into mush. Her father had been a lawyer and would comprehend how to gather evidence against Sarah's main potential perpetrator. The memory of her dad engulfed her with emotions; her insides were a choppy, storm-tossed sea.
"You are commendable," Jareth's baritone interrupted her self-pity. The unusually quiet and empty throne room, reverberated with his distinct voice. "I acknowledge my absence and leaving you yet again to fend for yourself."
Sarah shrugged, continuing to massage her temples as if he wasn't present. His hair was longer now, growing faster than her human hair. His last remaining scar was fading, but still visible.
"We have some unfinished business to address," he strode forward, still relying heavily on his cane. "Sevlydi will meet us in the library to discuss your future."
"Surely there isn't that much to discuss," Sarah said archly. "I return your medallion, and I go home."
Jareth gave her a sharp look. "You know very well that you are Queen-select and you can not just drop it and run away."
Sarah sighed and tilted her head away from the infuriating King. She had performed her fair share of 'running away' since coming back Underground. For the past few weeks, she had been aching to run away. Jareth was correct.
"But before we go, I would like to address the issue of the kiss you believed I shared with Forsythia," Jareth gripped his cane harder as he spoke.
"Issue?" Sarah scoffed. "What possible issue could there be?"
"You tell me," Jareth gestured with his hand. "I do not know how you got the impression that I kissed her, but we have never kissed one another."
Sarah inspected her fingers nails as she stifled a yawn.
"You met her," he continued, less calm than he had been. "Do you think I could be interested in such a simple, dull creature? Do you think me that shallow?"
Sarah glanced up at his almost outburst. "I care not."
With that, she unhooked her leg from the arm of the throne and strode past him. "You greatly overestimate how much I care," she spat as she approached him, but before she could go any further, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"I have always underestimated you," his eyes were narrow, his lips thin and his nostrils flaring. "Do not lie to me about how much you care, Sarah. You have the most remarkable capacity to care I have ever encountered. Do not undervalue yourself."
Sarah ripped her arm back from him. "Little hypocritical to lecture me about lying, don't you think?"
The sconces flared on the wall, giving Sarah the impression that even the shadows were trying to hide from Jareth's mood swing. Except, when she looked into his face, he was smiling; not a cruel, malicious smile, but a warm one that touched his eyes.
"Just so," he said softly. "I have been a hypocritical fool. But how long are you going to stay angry at me over something you supposedly don't care about?"
Sarah opened her mouth to retaliate, but she realised she had no clue what to say. Her mouth snapped shut, and she scowled at Jareth's leery face.
"You cared about Terry," Jareth said this with gentleness and with no trace of accusation. "It is my fault. My responsibility that you lost a friend. You can be mad at me for as long as you want and I accept that. I admire you for your sense of justice, despite how I may have handled that in the past. But any accusations levelled at my door in regards to Forsythia, are unfounded. I will not tolerate any anger you have where she is concerned. She is neither of our concerns, Sarah."
Sarah stood immobile, and her eyes downcast. His words seemed sincere and poignant.
Taking a deep breath, she finally replied. "You didn't have to prove how sorry you were by risking your life."
Jareth's brows shot up and the deep frown lines smoothed out. "Sarah, if they had killed you or harmed you in any way, my life would have been forfeit. I would have rained down hellfire to save you. I had no choice but to sacrifice myself for you, and I would do it again."
"Hopefully you won't have to do it again," Sarah muttered.
"I won't," Jareth smirked. "You wanted to kill me yourself, remember?"
"I haven't really had time to organise your murder," Sarah shrugged. "I can't turn back time as you can."
"Pity," he grinned.
"I will try to fit in a spot of regicide after dinner," she said, feigning indifference.
"I will look forward to it," Jareth leaned forward. "I would trust no one but you with my death."
"You put a lot of faith in my abilities," Sarah sniffed.
His gloved hand reached up to push hair behind her ear. "I would move those pesky stars for you, even if you never deigned to look upon me for the rest of eternity. Who else but you would I entrust with my death?"
That statement came a little out of the left-field, but it had the result of instantly drying her mouth. She licked her lips and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.
"I don't approve of what you did, leading me on and pretending to be my friend," Sarah responded, glaring at him. She felt his hand on her cheek, much like he had done with Forsythia the day before, but his eyes reflected warmth, not repulsion.
"I changed my appearance and my job title," Jareth shook his head slightly. "I never fabricated being your friend. Yes, it was under false pretences, but it was as genuine as it could be under those circumstances. I know you do not believe it of me, but I -"
"It is exactly those reasons that made it impossible to be genuine friendship," Sarah stepped out of his reach. "You are a magical creature who has cheated me more than once. I told you that you have no power over me, but I could never dream of deceiving you as you have me."
"No, but you could dream of murdering me," he grinned. "Is that not worse?"
"Eh," Sarah shrugged again. "Depends if that murder is for the greater good. The world could bear the deprivation of your ego."
"You wound me," he placed his hand up to his forehead in imitation of a swoon.
"How clumsy of me," Sarah paraphrased, and modified a quote from the Sound of Music. "I meant to kill you."
"You will have to try harder than that," Jareth indicated the scars of the previous attempt on his life.
"Do you think of me capable of such horrific torture, or that I would wish it on you?" Sarah, puzzled, took a step away from him. It was one thing to joke about it, and quite another for him to bring reality crashing down on her.
"No, because your heart is pure," he tapped his cane on the ground. "Only someone noble and unsullied could have taken on my Labyrinth and conquered it. Only someone as true as you could have trusted me as Terry and not seen through my glamour. I took advantage of your capacity to love, and I am no better than any other fae, having stolen trust from you."
Sarah bit her lip, as Jareth said all the right words. She felt her defences melting under his scrutiny. The King's usual arrogance had taken a sudden leave of absence, and Sarah wondered if he was making himself vulnerable to her as repentance.
"I am not pure," Sarah countered, weakly. She certainly wasn't chaste or innocent, and she doubted Jareth believed that either.
"You are pure of heart, in the sense that you harbour so much love for your friends and family," Jareth rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "Something we fae are not capable of, but I came to envy. Envy because I wanted you to teach me how to love, and I didn't think you would ever see past my crown. No-one has ever seen past my sovereignty before. But you have taught me that there are no shortcuts to love and that you can not have love without trust."
"Why fight your nature, though?" Sarah still did not understand. "You are fae, so it makes sense to act accordingly."
"I am also part human, and that part of me wants companionship, though you are right," he sighed. "It is a recent development that I wanted more from a wife than a bed warmer and an heir producer. Fae are slow to change, but like that song you were singing the other day, 'I learned to let go of the illusion that we can possess.'"
This man so far removed from the cold, calculating Jareth Sarah knew. The Jareth who sent the cleaners after her; Jareth who mocked her when they first came back in contact at the Twilight Festival. Images of seeing him at the Harvest Parade seeped through; him kneeling in front of the children, doing tricks for their amusement. Him sensuously dancing with the blonde and dark-haired fae women at the fire festival, with his eyes on her. She felt desire pool from that particular memory. Her eyes flicked up to see Jareth still studying her while she tried to marry these two images of him into one. Maybe it wasn't two sides of him, but she was getting quite tired of all this analysing and self-doubt.
Jareth swept his ragged fringe out his face as he held her in his scrutiny. Sarah recalled ranting to 'Terry' about her plans for Jareth's hair when he had first accosted her. If she was going to try and get back on equal footing, she was going to attempt to put Jareth in his place.
"Do you recall my plans for your hair, Your Majesty?" Sarah said with a sly smile curling the corners of her lips. She was going to venture to sway the conversation into a more familiar and comfortable territory - snark, not feelings. "After our first meeting, and I vented to Ter- er- you."
"Yes," his eyes narrowed, and his hand went to his hip.
"Egg mayonnaise is quite easy to make, and bog water is in plentiful supply," Sarah continued with a toothy grin.
"Sa-rah," he drawled with a note of warning.
"Just be warned, Goblin King," Sarah bit her lip in amusement. "I haven't forgotten."
"I have not forgotten that you also referred to my hair as a bird's nest blown in the wind and caught in a spider's web," he growled. "I think if you touched my hair, you would find it softer than the wing of an owl, even in its present condition."
Sarah smirked. "Until the restoration of your hair to its abundant Rod Stewart magnitude, you are safe from the 'Sarah Williams Hair Special.' I am not that heartless."
Jareth scowled. "I additionally remember when you informed me that you wouldn't marry me even if I am the only person left in the universe, so I suppose you are a woman of your word in all things."
Sarah sobered up. "I am."
"We have much to discuss, and it will take time," he interrupted the blossoming silence Sarah could taste in the air. "Let us go have our meeting, as we all have decisions to make quite urgently."
Once the three of them were seated around a table in the library, with refreshments aplenty, Jareth started the meeting.
"We find ourselves in an unlikely, and unusual position," he declared. "We have two reigning monarchs, and we need to decide how we proceed."
"Sarah, as we have discussed before, you were chosen by the Labyrinth to be the Queen Regent, upon discovery and contact with Jareth's medallion," Sevlydi explained. "You have expressed a wish to relinquish your crown once Jareth became strong enough to return to his obligations. That time has now come."
"So we now present you with five choices," Jareth shuffled some papers in front of him. "I will select each option at random before I present it to you, and we can discuss them all together or separately. However, you wish to do it."
"So option one?" Sarah prompted, clasping her hands together in front of her on the table.
"Option one is -," Jareth pulled one sheet of parchment out of his pile and read it out. "Jareth, King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth, turns back time and returns Queen Sarah to the moment the Pinnsburrs kidnapped her."
"You can do that?" Sarah perked up.
"No, he can't," Sevlydi scowled. "Not without causing his death as he burns up many stars to reverse so much time."
"Oh," Sarah frowned. Why was it presented as an option if it wasn't possible then?
"I would do it if that is what you wanted," Jareth placed the paper down in a new pile and pulled up a second.
Sarah just frowned. As desirable as that was, she couldn't ask him to sacrifice his life for hers again.
"Your second option is remaining in the castle and reigning as Queen in your own right," Jareth paraphrased from his scroll. "We would both be free to marry consorts, and we would share power and duties."
Sarah nodded, and Jareth continued. "The third option is similar, but we build you a manor house or an auxiliary castle in the Kingdom, so you have your independence."
Jareth placed those two papers on their new pile. "The fourth option is that you return to Cloverfield after we figure out how to relieve you of your Queenship."
Sarah clenched her hands tighter. Jareth stared down at the fifth and final parchment without a word. Sevlydi stirred his tea while giving his brother an ominous look. The choices were broad, and she would need time to consider them all.
"And the fifth one?" Sevlydi raised his brows. Of course, there was one more. Sarah glanced curiously at Jareth, who wore a grim expression.
"Is there any point mentioning this one?" he pointed to the last piece of paper in front of him.
"Yes," Sevlydi asserted. "Tell her, or I will."
"Sarah," Jareth addressed her. "This last option will be unfavourable to you, but my brother insists that I share it anyway."
Sarah nodded. "I'd like to know."
Jareth curled his lips and exhaled. "The fifth option is that you - that we marry and solidify our joint rule and magic over the land."
Jareth's eyes closed as he passed her all five papers, and Sevlydi leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin.
"These are the outlines of the options and our joint expectations," Jareth told her. "They form a contract, that once agreed to, becomes binding. You may consult who you choose and contribute any changes or compromises you deem necessary."
"It is irrevocable once you select your choice," Sevlydi warned. "If you choose to live in Cloverfield, you can't lament your choice not to marry Jareth."
"Sevlydi," Jareth growled in a stern, warning tone.
"Do I have time?" Sarah ignored their heated stares.
"If you must," Sevlydi tapped his fingers against the table. "But not much of it."
"I won't be even contemplating one of the options," Sarah continued. "May I have it removed?"
Jareth stiffened, his eyes enlarged, and his mouth drew thinner. Sevlydi narrowed his eyes, but he still assured her she could cut a "choice" if she wished.
Sarah glanced down at her papers, selecting the one that she wanted to remove. Two out of the five options gave her freedom from the Labyrinth. She was a little surprised Jareth of all people, would offer several options that would let her claim her agency.
"I will not be claiming this option," Sarah held it out to Jareth opposite her. He didn't take his eyes off her, as he cautiously took the proffered paper. Eventually, he glanced down, and Sarah could see the relief flow off his stiff, lined face.
"You do not wish to return to your life as it was?" Jareth confirmed.
"I do not," Sarah smiled wanly. "Our experiences change us, and we shouldn't live in the past."
Besides, Sarah couldn't live with herself, knowing that her villain sacrificed his life to reset hers. Although she strongly suspected he knew that and would never expect her to select that option. Trying to find redemption only took an arrogant fae so far.
Jareth nodded. "Are there any others you wish to discard right now?"
Sarah knew he suspected that she would want to remove the marriage option, but something stilled her. She watched as Jareth dissolved the parchment containing the prospect to reverse the years. She swallowed, knowing that there was no going back. 'The way forward was sometimes the way back,' was wrong in this case.
"No," she gathered up her remaining options. "I wonder if I may talk privately to Prince Sevlydi though?"
Jareth's brows once more drew tighter together. Sevlydi looked surprised.
"As you wish," Jareth hobbled off with his cane almost instantly. Sevlydi was studying her with intent.
"You didn't wish to remove the marriage option," he said when they were alone. "I am shocked."
Sarah sighed. She seemed to be sighing a lot today. "I am curious. Jareth has not mentioned the pearl theory to my face. You're the only one who has mentioned it. He hasn't even asked for it back after he gave it to me."
Sarah took the pearl out of her pocket and placed in on the table in front of her.
"I want you to tell me everything," she ordered.
"I can tell you some things, but not all things," he said, perusing the pearl. "I can't tell you all of what Briyash told me, because to do so would tempt fate."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that if I tell you too much, it will corrupt your destiny," he bit his thumb. "That's the only way I can explain it."
Sarah furrowed her brow. She had heard of self-fulfilling prophecies, but when it came to magic, the rules complicated everything.
"I shouldn't have told you anything about the pearl, to begin with," Sevlydi sipped his tea.
"Then, why did you?"
"Our design is not to love," he went on. "It is a weakness that can not be abided. It makes us do reckless, idiotic things. My love for Rica made me careless. My father's love for our mother, made him marry someone society scorned him for, lumbering him with children that he - that he despises. I told you about the pearl to goad Jareth when he was pretending to be Terry. I needed him to stop, so you wouldn't be as hurt as you are now. I should never have mentioned it."
"It wouldn't have mattered when he stopped pretending," Sarah said. "The result is the same."
"When I first met Rica, I denied myself for a very long time," Sevlydi settled back into his chair. "I abided by the boorish rule that I could not have an affair with a male because I am royal. The more I got to know him, the harder it became to deny myself. We knew the risks going in, but we were in love. Can you believe we were so devoted to each other? Two members of a passionless species, wired to see love as a weakness, enthralled with each other. What were the chances? We decided that something so rare, so beautiful was worth the risk. Then you learn of a way to ensure that you can be together forever, legally. Then you do what you have to."
"How can you be together legally?"
Sevlydi sighed and tossed his hands into the air. "If the fates allow, Sarah."
He steepled his fingers and lapsed into silence.
"Why does Jareth avoid mentioning the pearl with me?"
"He wants you to choose him," Sevlydi peered over the top of his hands. "He is quite the romantic when in the mood and has been smitten with you for quite some time. He believes in the pearl theory, more than I did, in the beginning. He is aware of your human sensibilities, and he wants you to choose him for true reasons. He also doesn't want you to doubt that he is marrying you for love, and not destiny."
"You think he truly loves me?" Sarah asked dubiously.
"You're asking me if my selfish, arrogant brother who nearly died for your sake, loves you?" Sevlydi asked with heavy sarcasm, inclining his head, scornfully. "He goes against his nature daily, and you still doubt his intent?"
"I am asking if you think he does."
"I have no doubt," Sevlydi shifted in his seat, leaning forward, to stare at the pearl. "My brother has only cared about himself, like any fae. But even the Pinnsburrs knew you were his weakness when they captured you. Yet, you still refuse to see it."
"People who love each other don't pretend to be who they are not," Sarah growled. "What he did was tantamount to spying. It was deceitful and an invasion of privacy."
"By human standards," Sevlydi leant back. "He is not human. From my understanding of my brother, he is now trying incredibly hard to live up to your human expectations. I hope one day, he will exceed them. And I hope one day you will be his strength as well as his weakness."
"For your selfish reasons, I suppose?"
"Naturally," he grinned. "But also because despite my misgivings, you will be very beneficial for Jareth. Thank you for keeping the marriage option open for him."
"It would help to have a few more ideas on how that 'option' would be advantageous for the Labyrinth and - and - me."
Sevlydi rubbed his chin. "Aside from my wishes to see my brother happy, there are plenty of reasons. You care about the Labyrinth, so you will not be used as a puppet by my half brother and sister, who seek to control it. It will secure your position as the Goblin Queen, offering more protection to yourself, your role and the Kingdom. You will have additional advantages than if you conceded some leadership to the Queen consort, and likewise, Jareth will preserve his half of the rights, if you do not obtain a husband. Imagine having to share control of the Kingdom in four ways, instead of just two. It becomes more complex and nuanced."
"Or it may allow a wider scope of experience and voice and background to the mix," Sarah countered.
"Or you end up at war, splitting the kingdom in two because you can't agree or the consorts want more power, and you won't yield to them."
"Yeah, but -," Sarah started.
"Or you finally admit you love Jareth, and then you create a scandal when your husband - your consort, finds you in Jareth's bed," Sevlydi gave a toothy smile. "As far as I know, the Goblin Kingdom is the only one that citizens select the monarchs, so typically the Queen and King are almost always married."
Sarah sighed. "Surely, if I have been 'chosen' to be Queen there shouldn't be any dire need for me to marry Jareth," Sarah reasoned.
"Aside from the imminent threat of Navas seeking to control the Labyrinth and Jareth," he reminded her. "They will leech all the power they can from here, by planting a puppet-wife on the throne."
"How do you know that?"
"They have never been interested in the Goblin Kingdom until they suddenly ran out of power reserves in Haddoyne," Sevlydi sipped his tea. "I have my own sources in the form of spies, so I know the Mountains of Haddoyne have practically been sucked dry. They can't wage war against their own Greater Kingdom, and they have no hope of controlling Jareth. But if he marries he shares the power, they gain access to the fount, utilising the control they have over his wife and Queen. The same if you take a husband. At least you two together know that you have the best interests of the Kingdom at heart, and you have no ulterior motive."
"So if I marry Jareth, they can't control me, they can't gain access," Sarah paraphrased back to him.
"Just so," Sevlydi flicked some crumbs off his shirt. "But there are also some personal reasons for you to consider."
"Such as?"
"Aside from his protection, Jareth will offer you faithfulness, and he is not a violent man. He would never hit you, and he would only take what you offer. And though you claim not to love him, he adores you; your will is his command. He would see to your every comfort and happiness."
Sarah twirled her teaspoon in her cup as she listened. They were incontrovertible positives to getting married to Jareth, though Mark had once upon a time ticked those boxes too.
"He tried to get me to marry him when I was barely fifteen," Sarah pointed out.
"You were too old to turn, too young to keep," Sevlydi countered. "He would not have married you that young. Whatever he may say, you were right to reject him. At that time."
"I have a lot to think about," Sarah slumped back into her chair. "Do you think you could summon Jareth back?"
"Why don't you try?" he smirked. "Use your pearl."
Sarah picked it up. "Jareth?"
Within seconds Jareth appeared before them, his cloak billowing around him in an invisible wind, his face stern, his eyes guarded.
"Your brother has helped me eliminate another option," Sarah addressed Jareth. His eyes flicked to Sevlydi, whose eyes widened with surprise.
"I see," Jareth's tone gave nothing away, but Sarah saw his grip on his cane tighten.
"Once upon a time, I would have jumped at the opportunity to escape back to a simple life back with the Sprigget's," Sarah shuffled the papers until that option was on top. She had given it a cursory read but knew that she couldn't accept this one to abandon the Labyrinth. "Thank you for considering options that solely benefit me and no-one else, but it is for that exact reason I can not accept the opportunity to return to Cloverfield Cottage."
She passed the corresponding document to Jareth, who had a look that Sarah interpreted as pride. Was he proud of her? Triumphant that she had refused two recourses that were to his detriment, but her sole advantage? The two options that offered her freedom were now no longer viable. She hoped she was making a choice she wouldn't live to regret.
Sarah's selections were to marry him, or not to marry him but live in either his castle or a castle of her own. She couldn't possibly narrow it down any further right now. Though her rejection of the Cloverfield Proposal was contrary to everything she had been saying and feeling since she learnt about Terry, she just could not risk the lives of an entire Kingdom if she didn't remain Queen. Since taking the crown, she had become quite protective of the maze and its inhabitants.
"Are you sure?" Jareth asked, stroking the paper in gloved hands, as he retook his seat.
"Did you not once suggest that my initial Labyrinth run was to teach me to be less spoilt, selfish, and more responsible?"
"No one expects you to sacrifice your happiness for the sake of me - my - our Kingdom," Jareth said softly.
"How can I be happy knowing that by my choice, I will have allowed my friends to die?" Sarah asked, her voice wobbling. "As tempting as those choices were, I can not accept either of them."
"If I could have prevented you from making any choice, please believe that I would have," he dissolved the parchment. "I'd have you happy above all things."
"You have sacrificed your life once for me, Jareth," he perked up at the mention of his name. "I can hardly expect you to do it a second time, and be content with that choice. Besides, for some inexplicable reason, the goblins have chosen me to be their Queen, and I can't let them down."
"How very self-sacrificing of you," Jareth said, with heavy sarcasm, before he caught a scornful look from Sevlydi. "You have grown up a lot since your first run."
Sarah laughed. "At least one of us has."
Jareth's smile was slight, but his eyes had become less guarded as she spoke. "We will give you time to make your choice. We know you will make the right one in the end, and we will both support you with whatever that decision is."
"Look at that," Sevlydi pushed his chair back to stand. "You two had an adult conversation almost without bickering. There is hope for you yet."
And with that, he disappeared from the spot, leaving Sarah alone with Jareth again. Sarah suspected they knew her decision would be a foregone conclusion, and that is why they would support it. Especially now she had eliminated the two options that would have made her the happiest.
"Will you dine with Sevlydi and me, or would you prefer to eat alone, tonight?" Jareth asked after a moment's peace. Sarah had been eating alone in the dining room for luncheon and dinner, and in her room for breakfast. Dining accompanied was not an overly appealing prospect.
"I think I would like to dine alone, to think about my options," Sarah replied.
Jareth nodded his head once, opening his mouth to say something else when Sarah stood up and excused herself.
Jareth watched Sarah leave, with mixed feelings. The shock of her having destroyed the two choices that would be more difficult for him, but most propitious to her, still hadn't faded. When Sarah quickly got rid of the 'return home' option, he had been surprised. Borne not of that choice, came his shock, but how quickly she had relinquished that possibility. He had half expected her to torture him with indecision. Sarah's decisiveness and her ability to narrow it down to the least three self-serving options was cause for celebration.
On the other hand, Sarah hadn't removed the option to marry him, and while that should have brought him joy, he selfishly wanted her to choose to marry him for the right reasons. How his opinion had changed, the longer he spent with Sarah. He loved her more and more each day.
The fact that she even spoke to him was an improvement from the recent days where she disregarded him entirely as he lay recuperating in his bed. Sarah didn't want him to die, and she wanted to be Queen; both something to bring him delight. Any of the three remaining options would be in his favour, though he would not get his hopes up that she would choose to marry him. He cursed his stupidity that he lost the opportunity to woo her properly.
In his head, Jareth had imagined sweeping her off her feet with a romantic proposal, after a smooth, steady courtship. He would impress her with his magic in one of his private, floating gardens. Sarah, would of course accept and they would make love in the secluded terrace, lit by fairy lights, the moon and the stars. He would treat her to her favourite Aboveground foods, and read to her from her most treasured books, while she was wrapped naked around him. Of course, none of that was possible now. If she chose either of the options not to marry him, then it was binding. He would never be able to marry her, to honour the contract she had signed. Fae contracts were tricky like that. If she chose to marry him, then there would be little need to propose formally. Sarah would sign the deal, and that would be that.
Later, when he was lying on his bed, Jareth was still thinking of Sarah and despising everything fae from contracts to fae marriage rules, to the fae penchant for deceit. Sarah had been right; his desire to get her to love him without his mantle was selfish and cruel. He was so used to getting his way, for his entire life, he didn't think this would be any different. He wanted her, by rights he should have her. Sarah's conviction may have been great, but Jareth should have yielded, or at least flexed before they achieved this mess. He had very nearly risked sacrificing his happiness just so he could win.
Sarah didn't even get a proper coronation. Though, that is something he could arrange now she had agreed to remain the Queen. A coronation to make it formal in the eyes of the court, not just in Jareth's eyes and those of his citizens. Or their goblins, as they were under both of their jurisdiction now. It would serve to promote her from Regent to Regnant.
Sarah would learn in her documents, that it was typical for a reigning sovereign to outrank their spouse. In this situation, Jareth would still rank over Sarah if they married, and she could never govern in her own right. The role of the Goblin Queen by marriage alone, still held more power than a mere honorary Queen title in the form of a consort, as he had offered Forsythia. Despite this, Jareth would grant Sarah the title of regnant to ensure she was forever equal to him. He would have her ruling in her own right, or not at all.
He was just wondering how she would take to being his equal against the custom, when he heard an almighty scream, that he knew instinctively was Sarah. Without a second thought, he transported himself to outside her chambers. He didn't wait for a response to his knock before he barged in. Sarah was still in bed, tossing and turning.
Sarah writhed in her bed, tangling the sheets around her body. A light sheen of sweat glistened on her skin, her eyes wide open, but unseeing.
Black mists lay like a heaving blanket across the ground, curling around the blackened trunks of trees, once strong warriors, now charred stumps, left to decay in the dirt. Bodies of unknown fallen soldiers, lay in pieces, scattered across the rotten path. Pungent smoke rose from their infected corpses; blood and entrails dripped from the walls.
The stone courtyard, at the end of the once tree-lined avenue, lay broken and crumbled like ceramic dropped from a height, littered with earthquake-induced ravines. Odious, grey liquid, fetid and foul, bubbled and oozed out of the open maw of each canyon, like blood and pus out of a fresh wound. But everything else was aflame or devoured by the inky, pitch mist, leaving the courtyard and shattered walls to resemble a tableau, a grim nativity scene, surrounded by emptiness.
It was the centre of the scene that drew the eye. A form could be seen with their back towards the entryway, standing perfectly still, as all around them, the world fell down. A ghostly wind whipped their hair, but there was no other movement.
It was towards this location that Sarah had been heading. Past the ruined Labyrinth, past all the dead goblins, until she reached this point. Bile rose with every step. How she got here was a mystery, but more mysterious still was the lack of dream quality. Every sense was sharp, every image vivid, and she had full control over her body and senses. Pinching herself caused pain, Sarah's terror increased manifold at the realness around her.
Jareth endured his position, his tattered cloak stirring in the wind as Sarah studied his figure. She anticipated he would turn around upon her approach, as her feet moved across the slimy stones towards him.
"Jareth?" she called, but there was no response. She was not very far behind him now. The damage he had sustained was apparent in his clothing, the closer she got. Blood, gore, dirt, holes and rips all telling the story of his plight. What had happened here? Tears sprung to her eyes as she glanced to the edge of the yard to see Ludo, Sir Didymus and Hoggle in a heap, clearly as dead as every other creature she had seen thus far. As she cried, the mists swelled to absorb their bodies, taking them from her sight forever.
Sarah brought her attention back to Jareth, still motionless. She edged around the outside of him, wary of what she would discover. Jareth had to be alive, he was standing tall, and not slumped on the ground like the rest of the corpses. Perhaps he was temporarily deaf from the magical explosion that had occurred. Her hand reached out to touch his elbow, but there was no reaction.
Blood. Blood covered her hand. It had a green, metallic sheen to it, signifying either magic or poison, or both. She swallowed her trepidation, completing the circle around him. Nothing prepared her for what she saw.
Jareth had no eyes. The black mist seeped out of his empty eyes sockets. His mouth sagged wide; slack and entirely devoid of any teeth. His nose was also just a hole with the black mist curling out of the orifice. His body, while clothed from behind, was stark naked from this perspective. The grey fluid flowed over Jareth's skin, burning and rotting it as it travelled. Stips of skin hung off him, exposing bone and blood. He was only distinguishable by his hair and his medallion still hanging around his throat.
Sarah screamed. As she cried out, she saw Jareth's head separate from the rest of his body, crashing down into a puddle of the oozy liquid, instantly dissolving the remaining skin.
Sarah screamed again; louder, sharper, and with everything she had inside her. The enchantment holding up Jareth's body yielded to the oily vapour, and it crumpled into the ravine behind him.
Sarah watched aghast. She spun around to see the black mist swarming towards her. She stepped back as far as she could, stopping before a chasm swallowed her whole. Her heart was in her throat as the haze grew more nebulous. She screamed again, and the next sensation was one of falling. Had she stepped back into the canyon behind her?
She became aware of arms around her waist and a heat that was not her own.
"You are safe," came Jareth's voice. Having just seen his mutilated body fall into a ravine, her overwhelmed nerves frayed to its last remaining thread. Hot tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she tried to fight his grip. "Sarah, you are not going to come to any harm with me. Peace, Precious."
It had been a while since Jareth had called her that. Her tears persisted, but her choking sobs eased. They kept falling, with his arms around her in pitch darkness. Slowly the falling sensation eased and slowed.
And instead of hitting the ground, Sarah woke up sweaty and panting in bed, twisted in her sheets, and hyperaware of the pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She had been dreaming. It hadn't been real. She rolled over to see Jareth's eyes fixed on her. Sarah was too troubled from her nightmare to rebuke him for being in her bed; or for touching her.
"You are safe," Jareth repeated. Sarah's hand went up to her face to wipe her tears, but something shiny and green caught her eye. Her palm was covered in blood, green and glittery like in her dream. She bolted upright out of his arms, fixated on her hand.
"I have blood on my hand," she exclaimed. "How can I have blood on my hands from a dream?"
"Your magic," Jareth was still lying in her bed, watching her. "Go wash your hands thoroughly, then I will explain it to you."
Sarah obediently hastened into her bathroom. Her face in the mirror was gaunt with dark shadows under her eyes. Soot and grime etched into every line on her face. She turned her attention to watching the blood wash down the drain, followed by splashing water on her face. She raked clean fingers through her hair, shaking out the ash and debris from her dream that was not a dream. She was about to rejoin Jareth when sudden awareness flooded through her. Sarah grabbed a robe from the privacy screen, slipping it on before exiting the bathroom. She had only been wearing a thin, silk nightdress when he had been holding her in her bed.
Jareth looked up from where he still lay on her bed. His eyes took in her new attire, as he patted the bed beside him.
"You weren't dreaming."
"What?" Sarah knitted her brows as she warily sat next to him on her bed, her back to his body, she turned slightly to face him.
"Your magic has manifested in "walking," he explained. "I could taste it as soon as I entered your dreamlike state, though I could not view what you were seeing."
"Walking?"
"In this specific instance, you were future walking," Jareth continued, swinging his legs off the side of her bed, to sit next to her. "Your magic is connected to specific criteria as I have once described. Being Queen has helped release some of it, and it seems to currently be taking the form of 'walking'. Dream walking, past walking, and future walking, all mean that you are there and it is happening to you, but you're only there in spirit. Your body remains in the present. However, if you do not grasp how to return, then you can cause yourself serious harm, even death."
Sarah could see the image of Jareth's dead body burnt on her retinas. She felt faint as she realised he would die in that awful manner.
"That is why I dived into your "walking" state when I heard you scream. I could taste your magic, but you have no control over it. I apologise for the liberties I took to rescue you."
Sarah waved his apologies away. "So what I saw will happen?"
"Not necessarily," Jareth twirled a crystal in his hand. "It is the probable future. It will happen if we make certain decisions that lead to that timeline."
"So I can prevent it?" she implored.
"You?" he frowned. "I would hope the future doesn't just rest on your shoulders alone."
"Yes, but coincidentally, or not, I have a choice to make, and I don't want it to lead to what I saw," Sarah bit her lip, stalling the tears threatening to fall.
"What did you see?"
Sarah vigorously shook her head. "All dead, all dead."
Jareth's frown deepened. "I need to teach you how to escape from them in case you have any more."
"How do I do that?"
Jareth grimaced, but then she saw his sharp canines poking through, revealing an artless smile. "You won't like the answer, I am sure."
Sarah huffed impatiently.
"I need to be with you," Jareth's reply was perfunctory. Sarah waited for more, but he seemed lost in the inspection of his crystal.
Sarah cleared her throat.
"When you sleep," he went on at her prompting. "I need to be with you and make contact with you to show you how to reach your magic so you can leave or avoid walking altogether."
"Of course," Sarah rolled her eyes. "There is one hundred per cent no other way to teach me."
He ran his tongue across the tips of his teeth, shaking his head. "Theory learnt from books will only get you so far in your training. Only one option is open to you for the practical aspect."
"Why do I not believe you?"
"Well, I can always get Sevlydi to teach you," he laughed. "There are other options with regards to who teaches you, but each one involves a rather, hmmm, shall we say hands-on approach."
Sarah wasn't surprised at all that his remorseful demeanour hadn't lasted long at all. She grunted and pulled her robe tighter. "And you swear that you will be beyond reproach while I sleep?"
Jareth's face darkened. "Sarah, if I ever have the pleasure of taking you, as you suggest, it will be with your consent, conscious and willing; so very willing."
The suggestiveness that dripped off every sultry syllable was enough to have Sarah's desire on full alert. Jareth's voice had always been secretly alluring for her. She didn't know how she was going to handle having him in her bed, though he insisted it was necessary.
Sarah ground her teeth in disbelief of the question she was planning to ask. "So your bed or mine?"
A/N: Credit to Madonna for the line 'I learned to let go of the illusion that we can possess.' (From 'I'll Remember', mentioned in the previous chapter).
Sarah takes inspiration for one of her comebacks from this exchange in the Sound of Music:
Captain von Trapp: If the Nazis take over Austria, I have no doubt, Herr Zeller, that you will be the entire trumpet section.
Herr Zeller: You flatter me, Captain.
Captain von Trapp: Oh, how clumsy of me - I meant to accuse you.
"He had very nearly risked sacrificing his happiness just so he could win," is modified from a lyric by Savage Garden from the song Tears of Pearls (the same song this story draws its title from). "Sacrifice my happiness just so I can win."
I also drew from the Novelisation of the Labyrinth (Too old to turn, too young to keep).
I think that is all the references needing credit. If there is anything else I have missed, standard disclaimers apply.
Thank you to everyone who has followed and reviewed. :D We are out of lockdown and back to semi-normality again so I am getting time to myself again.
Warning: There is smut on the horizon - in the next chapter or two ;)