Title: When it Rains, it Storms
Fandom: Labyrinth
Pairing: JarethSarah, onesided?
Word Count: 609 words
Rating: PG
Summary: Even the great Goblin King has nightmares.
Notes: The ending lacks, but there's no helping it.
Every night, he dreams of Sarah. Her eyes are always green, her hair long and dark. Her face so open and trusting, her smile genuine. Sarah is always perfect, as she was when he is awake.
But in his dreams, very much like reality, he can never quite have her.
Jareth dreams that Sarah is a fairy. She is small and pure and frail, and he beckons to her, lets her nap in his palm. She nibbles his thumb thoughtfully and he tries to imagine accomplishing ruling over a kingdom with his Sarah flittering about, providing the most miniature of perfect distractions.
Then, Hogwart? Piggle? comes along. She is startled into flight, and Hogwart sprays her until she falls dead.
"74!" Hogwart counts, waddling on to the next fairy. Jareth kneels to pick up his fallen Sarah, but she turns to glitter between his fingers.
He dreams she is a Elven princess come to conquer his kingdom. Just one look at her astride her steed, covered shoulders to toes in shining armor, her hair blowing wildly with the silver ribbons tied within, and he surrenders. He's on his knees before her, her gaze fierce and piercing his soul.
"'Tis a shame the Goblin King surrendered so quickly," a rat of a dog exclaims to his comrades from atop his dog of a horse. "If he had waited just moments longer, we may have offered a treaty of sorts."
"What sort of treaty?" Sarah asks as she draws her sword.
"Well, marriage, of course!" the rat answers.
The army laughs, and Sarah comes towards him with her sword raised above his head-
He dreams that she's a damsel in distress, and the only thing between Jareth and Sarah is a giant fur ball. Well, he's fought fiercer creatures, so he hardly bats an eye as he approaches. The fur ball uncurls, captures him in a giant hold, strangely resembling a hug, and pokes and Jareth's side until the proud Goblin King is reduced to giggles. Jareth rolls free and struggles to regain his composure, a smile still faltering on his face. Once the cruel Goblin King again, he charges in once more. But still, the furry beast envelopes him in a hug that would envy all bears. Sarah, the damsel in distress, giggles like the young girl she is and stands on her toes so as to see Jareth's face. "Play with him!" she says, the sun pale in comparison to her face. Jareth, refusing to stoop so low as to "play" with the creature, struggles until he is free.
The creature, simple minded and already bored, walks away. Sarah has disappeared, but he can still hear her laughter.
"I can't find you!" he calls out.
"You won't!" she calls back.
He dreams that he is outside her window at night, watching her cry into her pillow. She is older, a woman, and Hogwart, the rat, and the fur ball are at their places on the shelf, collection dust. But Sarah is still new and unforgotten, and the rain alone should suffice an invitation into her bedroom…
"Jareth," she sobs. "Jareth, please!"
His hand is on the latch and gently pushing the doors open.
"Let me go," she says.
He stands above her bed, and there's no way she doesn't know he's there.
"I can't let go," she cries, "until you do."
The sight of her in tears, in pain, is enough to chase him out the window, to cause him to change into an owl, because no one, not even Sarah, has enough power to stop an owl's flight.
And with a flag of his wings, he is awake.