Sarah regained consciousness a few minutes later. She woke up to the sound of many people running around, shouting and gasping. Her head buzzed with confusion. Then she remembered that Devon was trying to kill Jareth. She stood up quickly. But it was too quick. Her head was spinning and throbbing with dizziness and pain. She almost collapsed again but was caught by one of the dancers in the masquerade.
"Be careful miss" he said politely as he swooped her up in his hands and took her outside of the ballroom to where all the action seemed to be taking place. Sarah felt uncomfortable being carried by a strange man but was too light-headed to argue. Her vision was a little blurry after being knocked out. Devon's punch was one that would not be tolerated in the real world. She had never seen him so violent. Sarah could see that there were crowds of people all heading outside. When Sarah approached the Goblin City she noticed that they were all staring at Devon who was running after Jareth holding the knife in his hand. Jareth was quite far away in the distance but Devon was a fast runner.
"What are you doing Devon" she screamed. "You're being stupid!" she shouted.
"Yeah well, I do that sometimes." he shouted back, not turning around to look at her.
Sarah jumped out of the man's arms and gazed as she watched her ex-boyfriend chasing the man she loved. Feelings of guilt began to take over her mind as she realised that Devon wanted to murder Jareth because of her. It was her fault.
Many of the male dancers from the ball tried to run after Devon and stop him, they dodged through all of the goblin houses in the city but he was too fast to catch. He jumped on top of one of the roofs of a goblin's house and ran along the rooftops, his eyes frenetically concentrated on Jareth.
Suddenly, Jareth disappeared from out of sight. Oh no! Where had he gone. Was he alright. Sarah's eyes widened and her heart beat faster. She hoped that he hadn't got caught by anyone or fallen down anywhere. She cried out his name, but still there was no sign of him. Devon was shocked by his disappearance.
Then, out of nowhere, a snowy white owl came soaring through the sky. It was Jareth. He had transformed himself. Sarah sighed with relief. There was no way Devon could catch him now. She knew that he did not have the power to transform into an animal.
The crowd cheered as they watched Jareth fly off in the sky.
Devon looked angry by all this cheering.
He fixed his furious eyes on the owl and raised his hand with knife in it.
No one could see this but Sarah. Devon hurled the knife back.
"Nooooooo!" Sarah screamed as the knife was thrown forcefully.
It was too bad that it was a good shot.
The knife pierced the owl as it screeched with pain and fell to the floor.
Everyone stopped cheering.
Devon stood there with a half smug, half stunned look on his face before he ran off.
The whole crowd of people stood still as Sarah ran up to the lifeless owl.
She slowly knelt down and touched it. It wouldn't move. The owl was dead.
She was too shocked to cry. She just sat there shivering.
"Oh no Jareth, oh no, what happened" said a girl.
It was the woman who he danced with at the ball. The woman that Sarah thought he really loved. For she did not know that Jareth had left her to find Sarah. The woman stroked the owl as she cried softly. Sarah looked at her, distraught that somebody else was crying for the man that she loved.
How could he die? How could the King of the Goblins die because of one knife throw. She couldn't believe it. But there he was, still and motionless, with no heartbeat. He didn't even get to finish his life with dignity and die looking like the handsome King he was, but just as an owl. A bird that people saw flying around the Manhattan streets from time to time, but were oblivious to his great and wonderful powers. Now he would not be remembered for the noble and powerful man he was, but as an owl, that got so easily killed by a pathetic loser.
A hand reached for Sarah's shoulder which made her jump. It was the male dancer who carried her before. He pulled her back towards him and made her stand up.
"Come" he said, as he took her away from Jareth.
She tried to resist, still unable to say a word. He eyes met with hers.
"Sarah, you must go home, if you stay here you will only become depressed, you need to go back to your normal life." he said.
She frowned at him. What did he mean she must go home. How could she possibly go home now. Did he really think that she could carry on living when the man she loved had just died. The dancer held out a crystal ball, like Jareth used to do.
"Forgive me Sarah" he said as the crystal ball expanded trapping Sarah inside it. It carried her up to the sky and out of the Goblin City. She felt around the bubble trying to pop it but it was no use. She was trapped inside it. She screamed for herself to be released, but no one paid attention to her. She helplessly watched as it left the Labyrinth along with her only love.
It was a week later. Sarah lay still on her bed. She had hardly moved since Jareth's death. Her face was a sickly white and she had gotten skinnier. She look almost as ill as Toby when he was in hospital, only he had Jareth to cure him. Sarah did not have Jareth anymore. She felt so empty, like her soul was left behind in the Labyrinth and her heart was left behind also with Jareth. All she had now was her mind. Her mind full of painful haunting memories. Memories that disturbed her while she slept and troubled her while she was awake. She did not care to love anymore. She had not called her family to check on Toby, neither did she laugh or smile whenever Hoggle and Sir Didymus tried to cheer her up. She felt sick to the stomach continually. Headaches and nausea troubled her as she was hardly eating at all. It was like she had forgot to eat. Just like she forgot that she was supposed the stage play; Romeo & Juliet in a couple of days.
Hoggle suggested that she performed in the play. He, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius had been staying with her in the past week.
"Go on Sarah." he said. "It'll be good for ya, take ya mind off things."
She didn't answer him. She just shook her head. In fact, she had hardly said a word all week. She just sat in silence staring into space. Even when the wild firey's came to visit, not even they could cheer her up. They sang Chilly Down to her and displayed a great head-bouncing show, but still she sighed in misery. Even when they messed up her whole apartment she did not care to scold them.
When the day of the play came, Sarah was still reluctant to be in it. She was speaking a little more by then and eating more, but still had a lingering sadness in her eyes that reflected her loss. Her apartment was still messy. But what did she care.
The phone rang.
Sarah did not wish to answer but after warnings that the firey's were going to answer it, she knew she had to.
"Hello" she said quietly.
"Hi Sarah" said her cheery little brother.
"Hi Toby" she said quietly.
"I heard you were being in play, mommy and daddy said we can come see you." he said.
"Who told you I was in a play" Sarah asked shocked, as she had kept the play a secret from her family.
"An ugly dwarf" he said, "said his name was Hogwart or Hogfish or erm…"
Sarah looked at Hoggle who looked very guilty.
"Oh did he" said Sarah angrily looking at Hoggle. Sarah could hear her father in the background.
"Let me speak to her Toby" he said.
"Daddy's here Sarah, bye" said Toby.
"Hi Sarah, you never told us you were in a play. You told your brother but you didn't tell us" he said.
"Oh well…erm I, I just didn't want a big fuss that's all." she said.
"Nonsense, this is your first big play, I'm so proud of you Sarah. Of course we're coming to see you. Toby's really excited about it." said her father.
"No Dad please don't come" she said.
"Well its too late now, we've already bought tickets…you better go, the play starts at seven doesn't it.
"Yes but…"
"Okay I'll see you there then, bye." her dad said.
Sarah put the phone down and screamed, making Hoggle and Sir Didymus jump. She did not feel like acting on stage as a woman in love, when she had just lost her love.
Later that evening the play had commenced. Sarah was dressed as Juliet and faced the actor who played Romeo.
ROMEO:
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
SARAH AS JULIET:
"O Jare…Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
ROMEO:
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
SARAH AS JULIET :
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Jareth…, I mean, Romeo... and a Montague?
Sarah could not believe that she kept calling out Jareth's name during the play. What must her family had thought? What did the entire audience think. She felt very embarrassed. She wondered if the crowd could see through her act, if they saw her pale face and grieving eyes, if they saw her bleeding heart and mournful soul. A part of her wished they did. She longed for someone to hold her and help her grieve at this sorrowful time. But she knew that they would never understand what she was going through, because they had not been to the Labyrinth.
When the final curtain drew she marched off the stage heading to her dressing room. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. She didn't want anyone to congratulate her or worse, condemn her. She just wanted to be gone. Not even little Toby's cheeriness could enliven Sarah's life.
When she had gotten changed and packed all of her things together, Sarah sneaked out of a back door and walked down the New York streets back to her apartment. She didn't get very far, as she was stopped by Hoggle, who had been watching the play in secret.
"You were great Sarah" Hoggle said.
"Yeah right, didn't you hear me, I messed up. I kept calling out Jareth instead of Romeo. The audience probably thought I was crazy, and I don't even want to face my parents." said Sarah.
"Yeah but…the rest of it was good." Hoggle tried.
"I can't stop thinking about him Hoggle. I know he's gone but I still dream about him." she said.
As Sarah spoke to Hoggle she was unaware that a figure had appeared behind her, listening to her every word. The man placed his gloved hand against the wall and leaned casually and silently watching Sarah. Hoggle almost gasped and pointed after seeing Jareth, but Jareth signalled for him to not say a word.
"It's really weird, it's like I can still feel him, sometimes it feels like he's right there watching my every move." Sarah continued.
Jareth silently laughed. Hoggle stood and stared but then Jareth wordlessly urged him to keep talking to her.
"Erm..well, maybe he is here Sarah." Hoggle said.
"Whatever" she moaned, "he's gone, you don't mean to tell me that you think he's a ghost now do you, flying around and haunting me. It's not like he would haunt me anyway. He'd probably go to that stupid dancing girl."
Jareth rolled his eyes at the girl who was moaning like she did as a teenager. He waved his hand at Hoggle telling him to keep speaking to her. It seemed to amuse him.
"Well if he were still alive, if that Devon guy didn't kill 'im, what would you do." said Hoggle.
"Ha" she shrugged, "what could I do, Jareth made up his mind. He wanted that other woman. That more beautiful woman…"
Jareth pretended to yawn as she moaned.
"So I wouldn't do anything. I'd still be here lonely and miserable, and jobless." she said.
"You still got ya acting." said Hoggle.
"Not anymore" she said. "Not after tonight's performance. I must have looked stupid saying Jareth's name instead of Romeos'. No Hoggle, I'm not going to act anymore. I quit."
"What a pity" said Jareth, "and I was quite looking forward to watching you mistake me for Macbeth in your next performance." he said ironically.
Sarah jumped round to see the man who she'd just been grieving over. Her heart thudded almost breaking out of her skin. Her traumatized face silently gawked at the inhuman man who presented himself right in front of her. Was he a ghost, she thought. He did not look see-through. He was as clear as ever, with the same satirical expression and captivating eyes as he always had.
"What…wh" she uttered breathlessly. She thought she might have been hallucinating. After all she was not eating properly so it was possible.
"I can't see you" she said to herself, "I'm not crazy" she stated as she closed her eyes.
While her eyes were closed she felt a cool breath of wind on her face. She opened her eyes again. Jareth was still there, and his face was close to hers staring into her eyes.
"Whether you're crazy or not Sarah, I'm still real" he said.
"But…but…you…died" she said.
"Oh did I?" he asked condescendingly. "I must have missed that…or maybe you missed it seeing as you didn't stay long enough to ensure that I actually was dead."
"I saw you" she said assertively, "I saw you dead on the ground. I knelt beside you."
"No you knelt beside an owl, you saw an owl die." he said making perplexing Sarah.
"You were the owl" she said. "You transformed into the owl, and Devon threw a knife at you. You died Jareth!" she cried.
He laughed.
"You would think so wouldn't you, but it's just as well I was an owl when that rat of a boyfriend threw a knife at me, if I was in human form I would be long gone."
Sarah looked confused.
"Oh Sarah" he sighed. "There's so much you need to know about me." He smiled as he put his arm around her shoulder. Sarah pulled away.
"If you didn't die then how come you didn't come to tell me sooner. Do you realise what I have been through!" she sobbed.
"Look Sarah, my ability to transform into an owl was a curse. Nothing more… If anything, Devon did me an enormous favour. You see he did not know that when the blade of a dagger would strike me, my curse would be lifted, and I would not die, but would be free. Not even I knew of this, so when Devon hit me I honestly thought I was dead. It took me until realise that I was in fact very much alive" said Jareth.
"So all this time, all someone had to do was kill you as an owl and then you would have been free. Don't you feel sad that you didn't know sooner." she said starting to feel sorry for him.
"Sincerely, no. I have never had a problem with transforming into owl form. It was one of my greatest powers. It was only after you turned me into one for four years when I started to loathe the idea." he said leaving Sarah to feel guilty.
"I said I was sorry about that" she uttered.
He looked at her grief-stricken eyes and regretful face. She had clearly been distressed over that past week. He knew now that she truly did love him.
"Sarah" he said softly as he touch her cheek. "Oh my dear Sarah, there is no need to mourn over me anymore. I am here."
"Are you though" she said as she looked into his eyes. "Don't say that just because you feel sorry for me. You can't just expect me to forget what you said at the ball. You looked right into my eyes and told me you didn't love me." she said.
"Yes I did, and that was the hardest thing I have ever had to say" he said. "Because it was a lie. And deep down you knew it was a lie didn't you?" he asked.
She looked up at him but did not know what to say. So he put both of his hands softly around her face.
"You are truly beautiful Sarah." he whispered.
She absorbed his words intently like they were sacred and blessed. That's all she ever wanted. For someone to say she was beautiful and mean it. And he did mean it, and he was right. She was beautiful. For the first time in her life she felt genuinely and utterly…beautiful. Tears swept down her face. Jareth knew how much it meant to her. For he had watched Devon tease her and exploit her like she meant nothing. He knew that although she was strong-willed, deep down she was still a delicate child, waiting for a man to come and take her away and let her grow. Jareth was that man.
"Jareth I love you, and I'm sorry for…" said Sarah.
"Shhh" said Jareth as he put his finger on her lips to quiet her.
He moved his face up to hers and brushed his lips over her mouth. She responded to his touch and kissed him passionately. She didn't feel scared or shy as she did before. But knew that she was safe within his feel because he loved her and would always be there for her. She had no idea what the future would hold for them. She didn't know where they would live or what they would become, but she did not care. All that mattered to her was this moment. The moment that she would always remember as the day she truly fell in love. Even when the kiss had ended they held each other in an intimate embrace. She belonged to him and he belonged to her.
Later on they walked hand in hand down the street. Sarah didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she was safe.
"What's going to happen to Devon." she asked.
"Oh, he'll be imprisoned for sure" said Jareth.
"Really how long for" she asked.
"Oh, only forever, not long at all really." he said laughing.
She laughed with him as they contentedly walked hand in hand. Sarah finally felt complete.