Chapter 18. Memory reclaimed
Jareth looked at her face when he pulled out of the kiss. His face held a satisfaction. "Cait Sidhe," he growled softly. "My own." Sarah's face was dreamy and content. "I have only a few short hours my love, and then I must leave. There are things that must been seen too… for our future." Taking a half step from her he handed the medallion to her. "Won't you put this on me?" He asked knowing the gesture was far more binding than the girl could realize.
Sarah smiled; her hands trembled with excitement, and joy that he liked the gift. "I'm so glad you like it..." She fastened the clasp and let it go. "I just felt so drawn to it… and it sort of screamed your name…"
He placed a finger to the shooting star that she wore. "I'm sure it did, Sarah….my precious…" He was finding it hard to contain himself. "How I love you…" He groaned. "Enough to allow you to turn my world… upside down." He kissed her softly.
"What a funny thing to say." She giggled as he let her up for air. "You almost make me sound dangerous."
"Far more than you know, little girl," he warned softly.
Riha came out of the kitchen, saw Sarah with the man and smiled. "When did ye get here?"
"A few minutes ago." Jareth greeted the Irish girl warmly. "How's Conner?" he wrapped his arms about Sarah, rocking her to and fro.
"Oh fine," she smiled. "He's coming down for New Years; will ye be here as well?"
Sarah looked hopefully up.
"I'm afraid not." Jareth said softly. "I've a great deal of business to straighten out. I've let a good many duties slide." He kissed Sarah's temple.
"Ah too bad," Teased the Irish girl as she walked past them into the parlor.
Jareth turned Sarah to face him. "I will be away for some time, dearest… there's many things I have to put right. When they are, I will be back to ask you a very important question." His voice was low and dangerous.
"I'll be waiting." She promised.
Karen cleared her throat, "Mr. King, would you like a cup of mulled cider?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Williams." He looked over at Toby who was playing with the strange wooden game the man had given him. 'Yes, my boy… you understand, even if these others do not. Play with your toy Labyrinth… you'll have a real one soon enough.' He pulled the girl with dark hair closer and breathed in her delicate scent. What she didn't know at this time could not hurt him, could it? He sipped the mulled cider slowly, savoring the flavor.
The time seemed to pass too quickly and soon he was pulling on his coat again. Sarah walked him out to his car. He pulled her close, forcefully, holding her in arms that were like steel bands. His mouth took hers before she could protest; slowly he dissolved what little resistance she had. His tongue slid into her mouth and he tasted the prize he'd waited so long for. He felt a great sense of anticipation and exhilaration. She was his, even if she didn't know it, she was his. He looked meaningfully into her mysterious green eyes, growling from the back of his throat. "I'll never let you go." He swallowed hard, "Never."
Sarah felt dizzy, like she should remember something, but it was just out of reach. "Promise?" She asked softly.
He cupped her face with his leather clad hands. "Forever, Sarah." He kissed her once more.
She gave herself to the kiss, and warmed. "Forever," she repeated softly, in a dreamlike state.
Jareth smiled, victoriously. "When I return, Sarah we will be having a very long talk." He moved away from the girl and toward the driver's side of the car. "At the end of our talk, I intend to take steps to make sure you never leave me."
"Sounds ominous," she teased as she shut his door.
He rolled down the window. "It's meant to." He winked and blew a kiss to her as he drove off.
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Lilith paced the throne room; she was followed by little goblins that paced behind her mimicking her moves. Gilgamesh watched her pace, knowing she could find no peace.
"He should be here!" She cried out as she paced. "His absents is going to be noticed."
"How could it be?" Gilgamesh asked as he took a seat. "You've been very diligent in covering for him."
"I am not the Goblin King!" The woman raged.
"No," a cocky voice agreed. "You are not."
Lilith turned to the sound, and gasped, "Jareth? Jareth my darling boy, is that really you?"
Dressed in his dark armor and looking more powerful than he'd ever looked, he bowed toward his mother. "Hello to you too, Mother." He cast a stray glance at the man seated. "Do I know you?"
"No." Gilgamesh said lightly. "You may know of me though." He extended a hand to the handsome young Fae King. "I was called Gilgamesh."
"Ah, the Babylonian," Jareth took the extended hand. "I have heard of you." He then looked at his mother. "I take it you and my Mother are responsible for my being reunited with my memory and the girl who caused this chaos my life has turned into." His voice held a hint of sarcasm.
"Indeed." The older King nodded. "If I may ask what was it that jogged your memory back into place?"
Jareth fingered the Medallion. "This," He said. "The girl must not have looked at the back side." He turned it to show the older man.
Lilith also took a look, "It's a Labyrinth."
"Aye, Mother, it is." He looked at her with wicked eyes. "She placed it upon me with her own hands."
"Jareth!" The Queen of the Night scolded her son. "You tricked that girl into that if I know you."
"Requested, Mother," He winked. "I didn't even have to resort to tricks to trap sweet Sarah." He moved past the woman and went to his throne. He dropped down and hitched his leg lazily over the side rail; "Ah, good to be home." The very walls of the Castle seemed to tremble with the return of the Goblin King. From every corner of the palace little goblins scurried to fill the room with joyous sounds. Jareth smiled wickedly enjoying the adulations of his subjects. "Let there be music!" He cried out. "Daddy's home!"
Gilgamesh chuckled watching the young Fae interact with the goblin horde in the throne room. He saw the look of worry on the face of the King's beautiful mother. "Lilith." He called her softly to him. When she was standing closer he warned. "We've interfered; the fates must now sort this out."
"He's up to something," She warned. "And it could spell disaster." She looked over her shoulder to where her son was celebrating his return. "It will spell disaster."
"You wanted him restored." The old Babylonian reminded her. "He is restored." He stood up. "My work here is done, I will now return to the peace of my palace. I would suggest you do the same."
Hot eyes, dark as night and black as the void she ruled glared at him. "You would have me unleash his fury on that poor unwary girl?"
Her passion gave him a strange pleasure. "I would," He nodded. "She must face her actions as must he." He looked at the happy Goblin King who was consorting and plotting with the horde before him. "It is their problem now, my dear."
The Queen of the Night shrugged. "And if he means to harm her?"
"Look at him," Gilgamesh offered softly. "If he plots anything, it's how to draw the innocent girl into his bed." The Old King began to walk out of the throne room, knowing full well the woman would follow, needing to finish the dispute.
"She's a child," Lilith bellowed.
Swiftly the old man put his arm about the Queen. "You and I both know that is not true… now, perhaps I can offer you a diversion so you're not so inclined to continue to interfere." He pulled her hard up against himself. "Come to my palace, beautiful Queen of the Night. Allow me to show you the pleasures to be had there."
Lilith purred. "A most agreeable offer," she looked back toward the way they had just come. "But my son…"
"Is a big boy," Gilgamesh stated. "Let them take their fates from here… as we do the same." He nuzzled her. "You wanted my help to restore your son, he's restored…you owe me a debt and I intend to collect, just as he intends to drag his Sarah back here where she belongs." He smiled. "Come Lilith, let the children play…"
She sighed, "Alright."
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Jareth laughed as the goblins filled him in on what had happened in his absence. He knew the three traitors were still in the Human Realm, still trapped in human for; 'Serves them right.' He snickered.
Goblins danced, singing and celebrating. The King, lounging in his throne fingered the Celtic Knot on the medallion. Placed there by Sarah herself, binding her to him, and he to her, he fully intended to make the most of it. The taste of her was still fresh in his mouth and the feel of her in his arms fresh in his memory. He savored the taste of her, and the memory of her falling in love with his humanized recent past. "Oh Sarah, how I will enjoy the days to come," he said aloud. The goblins stopped dancing looked at him with expressions that ran from bemused to bewildered. "I'm going to extract pound for ounce my revenge on her." He snorted tossing back his head and allowing his hair to dance on the breeze as he laughed cruelly. "When I finish with her, she's going to wish I never gave her the power of wishes!" the horde remained silent, he looked at them, they looked back with uncertainty. "Well," he ordered tersely, "laugh!" They looked at each other and then back at the man who was practically lying across the throne. They began a soft tether of laughter building to cackles and chuckles and screeches. Jareth leaned back, throwing his head back farther he roared.
He drew a single crystal, perfect in shape and size out of the air. It filled with the image of the girl. "Oh precious thing," he teased the sphere's image. "You refused your dreams, fine… we'll try nightmares!"
Goblins danced wildly across the throne room.