Chapter Three
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
Summary: Sarah gives Jareth an answer, but is it the right one?
Hi all. Sorry about the delay with this chapter, but I had to move back to college, and the school's server has been all screwy for the past month or so. Now, without any further delay, here is the next chapter. (And feel free to leave some feedback on the way out.)
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
"Jareth, what are you talking about?" Sarah said, staring at him through her vanity mirror.
"Sarah, I want you to come back to the Underground with me, and live with me," Jareth said, moving toward her.
"Why?" Sarah said, turning around in her chair to face him.
"It is quite a long story," Jareth said to her.
"Well, I have plenty of time," Sarah said, folding her arms over her chest. "Go ahead," she nodded toward him.
Jareth sighed and began his story:
"Sarah, in the Underground, there are many different Kingdoms, mine being one of them. As a ruler of a Kingdom, I am forced by law to marry in order to produce an heir for the future of my subjects."
Sarah's eyes went wide when Jareth mentioned an heir. Jareth smiled and said, "My request is not what you think it is, Sarah, although it is quite tempting to ask."
Sarah shot him a glaring look, and Jareth knew better than to continue joking around with her.
"Anyway," Jareth continued. "If I am unable to select a bride of my own, one has been provided for me through an agreement between my parents and the royal family from another Kingdom when I was a child."
"So?" Sarah interrupted. "You have everything all set up for you. What does this have to do with me?"
Jareth moved and knelt down beside her. "I cannot stand the woman whom I am supposed to marry." He said. "She is quite annoying, and very arrogant."
"If you ask me," Sarah said. "She sounds like quite a match for you. So, what are you saying? You want me to marry you so that you don't have to spend the rest of your life with someone who is just as pretentious as you are?"
"Not exactly," Jareth said. "I had a feeling that you wouldn't be up to agreeing to marriage, so I thought that maybe you could use your incredible acting abilities to pretend to be my wife, just so I can get Antonia out of my life."
"Jareth, I cannot believe that you are asking me to do this." Sarah said, turning around to face her mirror again. "What gave you the idea that I would even be willing to consider this?"
"Sarah, I know that you have nothing planned for quite a long time, now that your show has finished." Jareth said. "I know that you would like to get away from your new found fame, to take a break from being in the spotlight for a while. I am offering that to you right now."
"I can assure you that it will only be for a short period of time, just until I can convince everyone else that we are happy together, then you will be free to leave." Jareth finished.
"But if I leave," Sarah asked. "Won't you have to marry Antonia after all?"
"Not if I can produce an heir that can take over for me," Jareth stated simply.
Sarah eyes grew wide again as Jareth mentioned an heir. "I can assure you that you will not have anything to do with this Sarah," he said. "I plan on adopting a child from Aboveground who looks a little like the two of us, and I plan on teaching him magic and giving him powers that will help him."
"He has everything perfectly planned out," Sarah thought to herself. "Can I really go through with this?"
"Sarah, I understand why you can only see me as a cold, cruel person who could care less about anyone else, but I am asking you, as a friend, to please consider doing this favor for me. I will make your stay Underground as comfortable as possible." Jareth said.
"You will be free to roam anywhere in the Labyrinth, do whatever you please, and not have to worry about anything at all." Jareth said, as he produced a beautiful diamond ring, surrounded by sapphire jewels, in a black velvet box. "The only thing I ask of you is that you act the part of my wife, a wife who is happily married."
Sarah was stunned. She had no idea what to do. The trip to the Underground sounded very tempting, but she would feel uncomfortable the entire time that she was down there. She would be spending all of her time with Jareth, a man whom she knew only as a cruel monster.
Sarah went back and forth staring that the ring and the man that held it out to her, a look of desperation in his face
"Jareth," Sarah began slowly, when she had come to a decision. "It sounds really, really nice, but I am afraid that I cannot help you. It would just be way too uncomfortable for me to relax and enjoy myself, considering the past that we had. I am truly sorry, but the answer is no."
Sarah watched as Jareth's face morphed from a faint glimmer of hope to a quick expression of shock, and finally settling into sadness. He sighed and dropped his head in defeat. When he looked up at her again, she saw a familiar face that she had seen before, a cold expression that showed no emotion.
"Fine," Jareth said. "I can understand. From now on, I will not see you, unless you call on me."
He reached for her hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it. He then stood up and moved away from her, toward the door, and began to fade away. "You were wonderful tonight, Sarah." He said. "Good luck to you in your future." And he was gone.
Sarah stared at the space that Jareth once occupied for a long while, then turned back to the mirror to see that the ring that Jareth had offered her now sat in front of her.
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Sarah picked up all of the flowers and held them close to her as she walked toward the back door exit. As she walked out of the building, a cold gust of wind greeted her. Shivering, she dug her free hand deep into her pocket. She gasped as she felt the velvet box there, and then remembered that she had put it in her jacket pocket when she was getting all of her stuff together.
She walked down the street, thinking about everything that had transpired that night. Her final show on the tour, her feeling upset, Jareth appearing out of nowhere to offer her a chance to get away. "Nope, nothing unusual about that," Sarah said out loud in a joking manner. Her humor fell flat, even to herself.
As she walked down the street toward her hotel, she continued to think about the proposition that Jareth made to her tonight. Part of why she had turned him down was because, even though she saw him as an evil monster, she had always been driven crazy by his good looks and the charm that he displayed to her during their time in the ballroom.
"Sarah, stop it," she scolded herself mentally. "That was only one of his ploys to distract you so that he could keep your brother. He has never felt anything for you."
Sarah was so deep in thought as she stood on the corner, she didn't notice that the lights had changed, and began to walk out through the crosswalk. Her attention snapped back to reality when she was blinded by a pair of headlights, and all that she heard was a blaring horn. She felt no pain as the car slammed into her, throwing her hard against the pavement.
She laid motionless on the pavement, blood spreading out from under her body. The driver of the car ran to her, yelling at her to respond, and feeling for a pulse as he screamed into his cell phone for an ambulance. The only sign of life that she gave him before slipping into the darkness was a single word: "Jareth."
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Okay, I promise that I will update a little sooner next time, if you promise to tell me what you think about this chapter, and the whole story. So, please leave me some feedback. Till next time.
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
Summary: Sarah gives Jareth an answer, but is it the right one?
Hi all. Sorry about the delay with this chapter, but I had to move back to college, and the school's server has been all screwy for the past month or so. Now, without any further delay, here is the next chapter. (And feel free to leave some feedback on the way out.)
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
"Jareth, what are you talking about?" Sarah said, staring at him through her vanity mirror.
"Sarah, I want you to come back to the Underground with me, and live with me," Jareth said, moving toward her.
"Why?" Sarah said, turning around in her chair to face him.
"It is quite a long story," Jareth said to her.
"Well, I have plenty of time," Sarah said, folding her arms over her chest. "Go ahead," she nodded toward him.
Jareth sighed and began his story:
"Sarah, in the Underground, there are many different Kingdoms, mine being one of them. As a ruler of a Kingdom, I am forced by law to marry in order to produce an heir for the future of my subjects."
Sarah's eyes went wide when Jareth mentioned an heir. Jareth smiled and said, "My request is not what you think it is, Sarah, although it is quite tempting to ask."
Sarah shot him a glaring look, and Jareth knew better than to continue joking around with her.
"Anyway," Jareth continued. "If I am unable to select a bride of my own, one has been provided for me through an agreement between my parents and the royal family from another Kingdom when I was a child."
"So?" Sarah interrupted. "You have everything all set up for you. What does this have to do with me?"
Jareth moved and knelt down beside her. "I cannot stand the woman whom I am supposed to marry." He said. "She is quite annoying, and very arrogant."
"If you ask me," Sarah said. "She sounds like quite a match for you. So, what are you saying? You want me to marry you so that you don't have to spend the rest of your life with someone who is just as pretentious as you are?"
"Not exactly," Jareth said. "I had a feeling that you wouldn't be up to agreeing to marriage, so I thought that maybe you could use your incredible acting abilities to pretend to be my wife, just so I can get Antonia out of my life."
"Jareth, I cannot believe that you are asking me to do this." Sarah said, turning around to face her mirror again. "What gave you the idea that I would even be willing to consider this?"
"Sarah, I know that you have nothing planned for quite a long time, now that your show has finished." Jareth said. "I know that you would like to get away from your new found fame, to take a break from being in the spotlight for a while. I am offering that to you right now."
"I can assure you that it will only be for a short period of time, just until I can convince everyone else that we are happy together, then you will be free to leave." Jareth finished.
"But if I leave," Sarah asked. "Won't you have to marry Antonia after all?"
"Not if I can produce an heir that can take over for me," Jareth stated simply.
Sarah eyes grew wide again as Jareth mentioned an heir. "I can assure you that you will not have anything to do with this Sarah," he said. "I plan on adopting a child from Aboveground who looks a little like the two of us, and I plan on teaching him magic and giving him powers that will help him."
"He has everything perfectly planned out," Sarah thought to herself. "Can I really go through with this?"
"Sarah, I understand why you can only see me as a cold, cruel person who could care less about anyone else, but I am asking you, as a friend, to please consider doing this favor for me. I will make your stay Underground as comfortable as possible." Jareth said.
"You will be free to roam anywhere in the Labyrinth, do whatever you please, and not have to worry about anything at all." Jareth said, as he produced a beautiful diamond ring, surrounded by sapphire jewels, in a black velvet box. "The only thing I ask of you is that you act the part of my wife, a wife who is happily married."
Sarah was stunned. She had no idea what to do. The trip to the Underground sounded very tempting, but she would feel uncomfortable the entire time that she was down there. She would be spending all of her time with Jareth, a man whom she knew only as a cruel monster.
Sarah went back and forth staring that the ring and the man that held it out to her, a look of desperation in his face
"Jareth," Sarah began slowly, when she had come to a decision. "It sounds really, really nice, but I am afraid that I cannot help you. It would just be way too uncomfortable for me to relax and enjoy myself, considering the past that we had. I am truly sorry, but the answer is no."
Sarah watched as Jareth's face morphed from a faint glimmer of hope to a quick expression of shock, and finally settling into sadness. He sighed and dropped his head in defeat. When he looked up at her again, she saw a familiar face that she had seen before, a cold expression that showed no emotion.
"Fine," Jareth said. "I can understand. From now on, I will not see you, unless you call on me."
He reached for her hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it. He then stood up and moved away from her, toward the door, and began to fade away. "You were wonderful tonight, Sarah." He said. "Good luck to you in your future." And he was gone.
Sarah stared at the space that Jareth once occupied for a long while, then turned back to the mirror to see that the ring that Jareth had offered her now sat in front of her.
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Sarah picked up all of the flowers and held them close to her as she walked toward the back door exit. As she walked out of the building, a cold gust of wind greeted her. Shivering, she dug her free hand deep into her pocket. She gasped as she felt the velvet box there, and then remembered that she had put it in her jacket pocket when she was getting all of her stuff together.
She walked down the street, thinking about everything that had transpired that night. Her final show on the tour, her feeling upset, Jareth appearing out of nowhere to offer her a chance to get away. "Nope, nothing unusual about that," Sarah said out loud in a joking manner. Her humor fell flat, even to herself.
As she walked down the street toward her hotel, she continued to think about the proposition that Jareth made to her tonight. Part of why she had turned him down was because, even though she saw him as an evil monster, she had always been driven crazy by his good looks and the charm that he displayed to her during their time in the ballroom.
"Sarah, stop it," she scolded herself mentally. "That was only one of his ploys to distract you so that he could keep your brother. He has never felt anything for you."
Sarah was so deep in thought as she stood on the corner, she didn't notice that the lights had changed, and began to walk out through the crosswalk. Her attention snapped back to reality when she was blinded by a pair of headlights, and all that she heard was a blaring horn. She felt no pain as the car slammed into her, throwing her hard against the pavement.
She laid motionless on the pavement, blood spreading out from under her body. The driver of the car ran to her, yelling at her to respond, and feeling for a pulse as he screamed into his cell phone for an ambulance. The only sign of life that she gave him before slipping into the darkness was a single word: "Jareth."
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Okay, I promise that I will update a little sooner next time, if you promise to tell me what you think about this chapter, and the whole story. So, please leave me some feedback. Till next time.