Though he had taken her hand and held it tightly when they emerged from Elysium, he couldn't pin point the moment when he realized that she was no longer holding his hand.
It was a lot more difficult to not look back than he thought it was. The whole time, he felt alone. He really had to trust that she was behind him the entire time, to not go insane and take a peak lest he risk her soul being trapped forever.
He felt like a madman, but he decided he would speak to her anyways. Ironically, though he almost felt he was speaking to himself, talking to the air around him kept him sane.
He stuck with what he was best at, singing and telling stories.
"You remember the time when Karen asked if purple was a good color theme for he wedding?" He chuckled. "Oh, how I panicked at the thought! Honestly, it doesn't even feel real that I was married for Victoria. I think we were married for less than two hours when you killed her."
He pushed a branch out of his eyes, still talking. "I had thought about Toby being my heir, but I know you'd disapprove because of the prejudiced that rise and what happened to you. Our children would have claim, but I was thinking that maybe not. I mean, I would certainly raise them to be good leaders but to be a king or a queen? I'm scared about that, Sarah. I also want them to be able to choose that life."
He looked ahead as the forest began to turn into a brick road. It was a nice and neat path, very different than the paths he had taken to get there. Shrugging, he just kept on walking, not having a choice. However, he still kept his senses up. "I know we've talked about children. I'm in no rush to have them soon but at the same time, I wouldn't mind having them now. I love kids, and I've always wanted one on my own, even before I met you. Before I met you though, I had wanted to adopt of course. Can you just imagine how stubborn they would be with us as parents? That would give Robert a heart attack for sure!"
He chuckled at the thought of Robert being a grandparent. He knew his father-in-law would love being a grandfather. Since he wouldn't be raising said children, he was free to spoil them as he wished. Karen too, though she would definitely try to meddle in their affairs a lot and Jareth really couldn't be having that. He voiced this out loud to his wife, the road now turning from brick into dirt.
"Karen, as I'm sure you know, will try to meddle in our parenting." He sighed a little. "She means well but my god, that woman is always so eager to think she's the professional at everything to the point where it's just infuriating! I can see how you both didn't get along so well in your younger years before you matured. Still, she is a kind hearted person. Do you remember when I first met her and your father? That was definitely a rough start. I know it doesn't seem like it but I had a lot of self restraint from fighting them when they accused you of "asking for it" from that vermin."
He shuddered at the memory, remembering how mad he was at that time. He heard a soft growl, and he lowered his voice. "I'll have to be quiet now, my love. I hear something. Stay close to me, I'll keep you safe."
He lowered his hand and flicked his wrist, a perfect crystal appearing. Said crystal elongated and extended to reveal a sword. One can never be too cautious, especially if you were the goblin king.
Sneaking around the corner, Jareth saw that ahead of him was Cerberus. He cursed silently, knowing that he had to pass either this or the throne room where Hades was. He wasn't going to risk the throne room, it was too close for comfort as Sarah was with him. He was also worried Hades would force him to turn around and look back, sending her straight back to Elysium.
He had to get Ceberus to sleep somehow. Through all the stories and myths he had heard, music was what made them sleep. He honestly did not want to be singing again, so he held his sword and changed its shape into a small harp. Holding it in his arms, he played his and Sarah's song, As the World Falls Down.
The peaceful melody was comforting even him in this time of trouble. Ceberus was starting to sway, but it wasn't enough. Jareth willed his beating heart to calm down. Closing his eyes, he really let his emotions leak through the music. The hopefulness of the song, the sadness, the fear, the love, the regret, all of his emotions were evident in his playing. Tears filled his eyes, fueling him to picture his Sarah and her beautiful face, looking forward to a long life with her after he got out of this hell hole.
The three-headed beast closed its eyes, falling asleep. Jareth took a step, and continued to play his song, going as fast as he could without making any noise. It wasn't until he closed the doors on them did he finally stop playing and let go of the breath he was holding.
He reached the boat where Charon was. Once again, the hooded man bowed towards the king and held it his hand for payment. Jareth dropped another coin into his hand and he steered them back to where he had came.
"So, Goblin King," Charon started. "Did you succeed in whatever you wanted to do with the Lord of the Underworld?"
Jareth's jaw was set tightly at the mention of Hades. Oh, how he loathed that man. He was disgusting and dare he think this, beneath him in every way. Such a pity someone like him was made into a god.
Jareth gave a curt nod. "Yes. We came to an agreement." He left it at that, not wanting to dwell on the god or his blood pressure would spike again.
Charon hummed thoughtfully. Jareth wished he could see his face, but that ridiculous hood was covering him. It irked him to not see someone else's eyes, which was why he took off his mask and had Sarah go without one their first dance in her peach dream.
"You know," Charon told him. "Lord Hades and you share more qualities than I had thought."
Jareth snorted. How DARE he be compared to that bastard? "Pardon me, Charon, but I and your King have nothing in common."
Charon gave a hearty laugh. "You are both fighters, my Lord. You are both kings. Furthermore, you both bend the rules to your will but never outright lie to anyone. Both are quite clever as well." He remarked.
Jareth narrowed his eyes. "Maybe so, but the difference is that I don't do all of that for selfish reasons. I'm not a self serving man."
Charon shrugged. "Maybe not, but Lord Hades does not have subjects to fight for. They get judged, they get sent to where they belong, and he just makes sure things are running smoothly. They aren't living, as your subjects are. He doesn't have anyone to fight for, so why should be care?"
He had a good point, but Jareth still wasn't so sure. He kept his voice even and careful. "Maybe instead of just being selfish, he'd be less bitter and brooding if he found something to do that was worthwhile with his time."
He saw that they were at their stop. Charon held his hand and helped him out, not responding to his strong words against his Master. Jareth was a man who LOVED confrontation. He wasn't stupid, but he just HAD to push buttons.
Jareth added more stinging sentences. "Maybe instead of stealing women and forcing them to be your lovers, why don't you win their hearts and be honest? Why don't you go and do good with the powers you have, Hades?"
Instantly, the man who had posed as Charon threw his hood back to reveal not the same person he had seen earlier, but in fact, the King of the Underworld. His grey eyes were so stormy, Jareth was almost surprise he didn't vaporize right then and there.
"You are playing with fire, King of Goblins." Hades sneered. "You come into my kingdom and throw insults at me? You have absolutely no right to do that, not even in the laws of your own land!"
Jareth held his hands behind his back, elongating his crystal to a sword once more. "You say that, and yet, you took MY WIFE from the Summerlands and took her straight to Elysium without being judged for your own selfish reasons! I am the one who should be seeking restitution from you!"
He swung his sword at the King once again. Hades commanded the earth to rise up, protecting him from the blow of the celestial bronze. He conjured an iron sword, deadly to fae if hit the right way.
Jareth was smart. He didn't dare let Hades jump up behind him for fear he'd turn around. Instead, he stabbed through the patch of dirt to startle the king and catapulted himself up and over him. He didn't even dare to make sure he wasn't being followed, he knew he was so close to getting out of the Underworld that he just bolted.
Throwing another crystal atop of himself, Jareth made sure that if Hades tried to pierce him at least he would be warned as he would have to pierce the crystal first and have a chance to defend himself. He could hear the god flying closer to him, so he whispered an incantation, producing a bright orange crystal. He quickly threw the crystal behind him where it erupted into flames.
"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN USE FIRE TO KILL ME, GOBLIN KING?" Hades roared. "I AM A GOD!"
Jareth couldn't see hades behind him of course, but he could definitely hear the anger as he moved closer to him. Of COURSE Jareth didn't think he would kill the god, just a mere distraction. He was getting tired, as he hadn't slept at all and with emotional drainage that plagued his body from the whole ordeal. He wasn't able to perform a lot more magic.
Time was short.
He grabbed a hold of the rocks ahead of him and climbed as fast as he could. Unfortunately, climbing wasn't exactly one of Jareth's strengths as he would fly instead. He wasn't bad at it by any means, but he wasn't very fast. He trudged ahead, the thought of Sarah giving him the burst of energy to go on. He would NOT let her soul be taken by the God of Dead and he would be damned if Hades took his soul too!
He was getting closer to the top. He knew that he was only slowing down Hades, but he could hear the god grunting in what seemed like pain. Smiling to himself, Jareth knew that he had succeeded in at least injuring the god with the fire. It was no ordinary fire that he had conjured, but one that was laced with celestial bronze to explode. He knew better than to just rely on his own magic, and had brought with him magic objects to use as weapons.
He was close now. He could see the entrance and the small beam of light that was shining through the manhole. Just as he was pushing up the lid, he felt Hades grab his ankle.
Jareth could imagine Hades's face vividly even if he refused to turn around to see him. His heart was pounding harder, sweat trickling from his brow as he tried to yank his feet from the god. If it weren't for his gripping gloves, he'd fall over by then with the amount of sweat that was covering him.
"Give up, Jareth!" Hades laughed. "You are MINE now too! Don't worry, Sarah will be alright. She is a saint, and I will make sure you get sent to the Mourning Fields, separated and grieving for her for eternity! That is what you get for spiting a God!"
The great, stoic goblin king involuntarily let out a raged sob. He didn't know what to do anymore. He was in pain, he wanted to die. He was too tired to go on, too tired to do anything. Since Sarah had died, he had been absolutely exhausted, and now was on the brink of collapsing.
He had no regrets, living a good life and had taken care of his kingdom. He hoped that the Williams would be taken care of. Sarah was okay, she would be sent to paradise. If she went with hades to be his, then so be it. He knew that Hades could never force her to, so if she chose to, then it would be her own choice. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. Now he would suffer, and Sarah would still be gone from him. Forever.
If he was going to die, he might as well look at his beautiful bride one more time before being banished. His beautiful, gorgeous Sarah. Someone who had given him so much. He only wish he could have saved her too.
He closed his eyes and turned around, ready to die.