Jareth led Sarah back to his chambers to finish preparing in peace. Sarah sat in a chair close to the fire and shivered. Suddenly Jareth had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and sat across from her.
"Jareth? Was I really that bad to you that the only way to escape the pain was to erase your own memory? I'm so sorry, I really thought that you were just trying to distract me from rescuing Toby with the Ballroom. I didn't believe that you could actually love a dumb girl like me, I was just a spoiled little girl and you were a King. Why would you even consider loving a nobody like me?"
Jareth got up without saying a word and went into his dresser. He rummaged through it for a while before coming back to sit right beside her holding a large velvet box.
"Sarah, when we first met I was already drawn to you and I didn't know why. I've never done anything to help a runner of the Labyrinth, let alone interfere with their progress but I just had to be close to you and I didn't couldn't figure out why this girl was so appealing to me. It was in the ballroom illusion that I realized that I was falling for you and that's when the game changed. It was no longer about Toby, It was to find away to keep you with me but in the Escher room I knew that you weren't ready. So I waited for you but the pain of not being with you was tearing me up inside. None of this was your fault Sarah. It was all me and my inability to live without you. I'm the one who should be sorry and I am."
Sarah listened intently but her eyes never left the black velvet box, she wanted to know what he had inside. Then he tilted her chin up.
"Sarah, are you listening? I'm trying to confess my undying love for you and you're daydreaming." He said with a smile. She blinked away and blushed. "Yes, I'm listening and I understand what you're telling me but I still feel so guilty for what I did to you. I can't stand the thought of ever causing you pain, Jareth. I love you so much and I feel terrible that I never realized it before."
He put his fingers to her lips to quiet her. Then he gave a soft kiss on her forehead. "Sarah, all is forgiven. It's all in the past now, let us move on to better things, okay?"
Sarah nodded in acceptance and he smiled. "We don't know what this battle is going to bring or if we'll even survive but for now let's just be together. I've waited for this moment for five years and now that it's finally here I'm not going to spend it talking about the past."
Sarah smiled and kissed his finger tips. "You're right. I can't think of any place I'd rather be than with you."
He looked down to the box and huffed. "Sarah, this is for you." He handed it to her and she slowly opened it. Inside there was a crown and she gasped. It was a large loop of white gold that twisted into vines and at the center there were many shining jewels. She picked it up for a closer look and it felt heavy for something so delicate looking. Jareth removed something else from the box and took her hand.
"Sarah, it took five years for us to be together and I don't want to ever be without you again. I love you, Sarah Williams. Will you do me the honor of becoming my queen?" With the last word he opened the small box to show a beautiful weaved white gold ring and at its center was his crest surrounded by small diamonds. Sarah just gazed at its splendor and blinked up at him. Her expression was that of shock and Jareth felt his face drain of blood as he awaited her answer. The seconds stretched into minutes and Jareth was starting to become nervous. Then Sarah cupped his face and slowly leaned in for a kiss. "I will." She whispered against his lips and he sighed in relief. Deepening the kiss she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. His hands went around her waist pulled her against his body and the world melted away. Suddenly Jareth felt Sarah pull back. "Wait. Let's not do this right now. We should wait until we can do this properly. On our wedding night. I don't want to rush into this just because we might die tonight."
Jareth looked slightly disappointed but quickly turned into a smile. "Yes, you are right."
He drew another crystal from the air and tossed it above them. When the cloud dissipated they were in full armor and Sarah was amazed at how light and easy it was to maneuver. She then noticed a silver chain necklace with a white gold crest hanging around her neck. She touched it lightly and asked what it was for.
"It's a talisman, just like mine. It holds great power and it will keep you safe from harm. It will also let everyone know how much I love you, Sarah. Everyone who sees it will know that we are engaged."
She beamed brightly at him and lunged at him almost knocking them over. He was confused for a split second until her lips descended upon his for a deep passionate kiss. "Oh thank you. I love it and I love you!"
He laughed at the sight of her, her youthful energy that poured from her very soul. He was completely taken by surprise at how much life she brought back into his heart. She was in many ways still a child at heart but now she was also a strong and confident young woman. His Sarah, he never thought this day would ever come but he would be damned if this evil force was going to take it all away.
"Come my darling, I should teach you to better control your abilities." He said while bringing her to her feet. He produced a crystal. "Your power comes from your imagination, whatever you imagine can be brought to life with concentration. I use crystals to focus my concentration and there are very few techniques that you need to know but what is most important is the amount of energy it takes. The more magic you use the more energy it takes, it draws from your very life source. It can be extremely dangerous to use too much as it weakens you."
Sarah nodded in understanding. "Can I try?"
Hoggle had the troops ready and waiting just outside the castle gates. He had already sent out most of their forces to the battle grounds by the south walls. He was waiting with this small escort for the King. No one was expecting Sarah to follow behind Jareth dressed for battle. Hoggle gasped. "Sarah, you are coming?"
"I have to Hoggle. Jareth needs my help with the crystal. Besides, I'm not about to abandon my fiancé during a war." She said with a smile while taking his arm. He helped mount her on a horse.
"Jareth, I have no idea how to ride a horse." She stated while nervously patting it's fur. Jareth climbed on behind her. "That's fine. I'm here with you." He said into her ear while taking the reins.
They took off without warning and Sarah clung to his arm. She thought she was going to fall off as the horse raced through the Labyrinth. Sarah could smell the smoke and see orange of many fires as they approached, she could hear the echos of creatures screaming and it made her heart sink.
The moment the battlefield came into view she almost gagged on her own scream of horror. There were dozens of bodies scattered around as the hundreds of goblins were viciously attacking Hoggle's forces. In the near distance she could see a group of creatures just like Ludo howling and sending boulders to crush a horde of goblins. Another flame burst a few yards away as the fiery gang danced around a pile of burning goblins. Sarah couldn't bear to look anymore and turned into Jareth's chest. She could see the horror flicker in his eyes and he got off the horse. He walked a few feet ahead of her and she quickly rushed to his side. She saw the anger bubbling over him. He conjured a crystal and threw it in the air, it burst into a blinding light and every creäture paused to look at it. The dark smoke seemed to cringe back from the light, Sarah thought it must be Jareth's other half.
"I will not allow this to continue in my kingdom!" Shouted Jareth for all to hear. The goblins cringed at the sound of his enormous voice, they all looked like they wanted to cry. However the darkness quickly shrouded them and they seem to change before her very eyes, they seethed with anger. They all charged toward Jareth and Sarah.
Jareth took Sarah's hand and stood rigid, building his strength to conjure a blast of light that shook the ground. The darkness disappeared in the light and all the goblins cowered, some even turning to ash on the spot. It was over in a second and all of Jareth's forces cheered, he however was out of breath and Sarah had to help support him. "Jareth! Are you alright?" Her voice was almost hysterical. He quickly regained his composure. "I'm fine, that just took a lot more energy than I thought. This force is more powerful than I was expecting."
Sarah looked up at him and squeezed his hand tighter. "You have something better. You have me." She stated with a determined face. She closed her eyes and imagined she own crystal appearing in her hand then smiled brightly when she felt its weight. Jareth gazed at her in surprise. "Well, you learn quick."
Sarah tossed the ball into the air and it burst in a million pieces, each one surrounded their forced with a glowing light. "A force field. Learned that from Stars Wars."
Jareth turned to his troops. "Archers ready. Fire!" He bellowed. The night sky was lit with hundreds of twinkling flames and they rained down on the goblins. They were driven back and Hoggle laughed. "It's working!" He shouted in amazement.
Jareth smirked. "It's not over yet. Fire another round." The archers let loose another blazing fire storm. Everyone gasped as they hit an invisible wall but Jareth figured as much. "Show yourself." He grumbled as if to himself but the shadows began to move and form into a body. A man appeared before them looking just like Jareth except he was dressed all in black.
He smiled. "How nice you meet you both. Jareth my creator and his beautiful Sarah, the girl whom started it all. You may call me Jones. "
Sarah could only glare and held her head high. Jareth spoke with a careful calmness. "This war is pointless. Stand down."
The man laughed. "No, I don't think I will. You see, I found a loop-hole to the mess of dying. I am well aware that we will both die without each other but I don't like you, so I refuse to go back."
Jareth scoffed. "There is no loop holes, we are going to die that is the consequences of the magic I used."
Jones only laughed harder. "Was it worth it? Limiting your life span and for what? The girl whom broke our heart when she refused us? She is the reason this war is even happening."
Sarah paled and couldn't stop the tear from rolling down her face but still she remained rigid. Jareth tightened his grip on her that it began to hurt but she said nothing only squeezed harder. "What can I say? Love makes you do crazy things. I did manage to get her love in the end so yes, it was well worth it."
Jones glanced at Sarah. "Do you love him?"
Sarah stared into his eyes. "Yes, I do."
"And would you still if we were to become one again? If we were to be the same man who you hated all those years ago? I am after all his other half. So it begs the question. Could you love me?" His eyes were piercing and her breath caught in her throat. She blinked away in panic and hated herself for it. If Jareth were to become whole again would he become cruel like this man before her? She had realized her love for him when they met again, could she still love him if they merged together? The thoughts were swimming in her head and it was making her dizzy. I knew how he was before they split, he used a lot of tricks to get her to fail her quest but she also remembered her pain when she left the Underground. The pain of realizing that he loved her and she left him without knowing that she did love him, even then she loved him. This thought took away her anxiety and she turned back. Before she could say a word in answer he had already turned away.
"Well, I guess I already know the answer. I will always be the villain in your eyes. I am going to continue my takeover until every single creäture in this land is under my control. Once I become ruler of them it will make me a solid being and then I can live without my other half." Said Jones with delight in his voice. He was about to disappear when Sarah had let go of Jareth's hand and reached to grab his. He turned swiftly with surprise but quickly turned it into a look of hatred.
Jareth was shocked at her, he wanted to pull her back but stopped himself. She knew what she doing and he had to trust her judgment.
Sarah felt out of breath as she gazed between the two. Jones had been right, they were one and if she was to love one, then she was going to love the other as well.
"Stop this, please." She pleaded. "This war is pointless when you don't have to be without me." She spoke slowly and made sure he was listening to every word. He made no move to do anything but look at her quizzically so she continued. "I hadn't yet known in my youth that you loved me and that I did fall in love with the Goblin King. I thought it was too late to let you know, once I left the kingdom. Everyone makes mistakes because no one is perfect. I loved you then and I still love you now. You are already ruler so you don't need to do this. Please, merge with him. I can't bear to lose either of you." She glanced at Jareth to join them and he moved slowly. With both of their hands in hers she sighed in relief as it was all going to be over shortly.
Suddenly, she yelped in pain as Jones started crushing her hand. "It's too bloody late, Sarah! I cannot forgive all the pain you've caused me. I don't want your love and I don't want you!" He screamed with fury and a dagger appeared in his hand. He was about to bring it down on her when Jareth drew a crystal and threw it at him, it exploded in a ball of fire sending him flying across the field.
Sarah held her arm close to her chest and Jareth led her back to his troops.
Every creäture that had been silently watching suddenly broke out in war again. The air was thick with the scent of blood.
Jareth took Sarah to a nearby tent out-of-the-way of battle. "Sarah! Are you okay?" He said while taking her damaged hand and placing a crystal over it. The crystal burst like a bubble leaving in its path a glittering shower of dust that instantly healed her broken fingers. She looked up at him with a smile on her reddened face. The tears of pain were still on her face, but not from her hand. She clung to him and cried. "I really messed up this one. He hates me." She sobbed and Jareth stroked her back soothingly. "I can never hate you. Not even in my darkest form. He bares all the pain I had, the pain that I had cast out. I hold the love and goodness, he holds my darkness but still I can sense that he is conflicted." His voice was soothing and she tried to recover quickly but it still took minutes for the tears to stop.
"It can't end like this Jareth. I refuse to lose you, not when it has taken this long to finally be with you." She trailed her hands up his back and pulling away from his embrace to kiss him. His lips were soft as she kissed him tenderly, then he winced in pain as Sarah pulled her hand over his left shoulder. She gasped as she peered under his armor to see a huge fire wound. "What happened? When did you get hurt?" She demanded.
He covered the wound with a cloth. "When I attacked him. We are linked, what ever happens to him will befall on me as well."
Sarah stared at him in horror before they were interrupted by thunderous crashing. They launched out of the tent to see giant balls of fire raining down from the blackened sky. Sarah was stunned and Jareth pulled her along. "Come on!" He shouted over the noise.
She spotted Hoggle in the distance and saw him trying to help a wounded soldier. She also spotted a fire-ball heading his way. She screamed and stopped. She closed her eyes and summoned a crystal, she threw it in the air without looking, still concentrating on her goal. Suddenly a giant dome covered the area and the fire balls collided with it bursting in a magnificent flame lighting the night sky. She dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Jareth was right, using that much power drained you of energy. Jareth picked her up and supported her while continuing towards Hoggle. "Well done, my love. Your power is getting stronger."
She huffed along. "I learned from the best." She tried to laugh but it came out as more of a breathless gasp. Hoggle rushed to help her and Jareth left them to get something from his horse's saddle.
"Sarah, you saved us!" Beamed the dwarf with tearing eyes. Sarah huffed one last time before finally catching her breath. "Oh Hoggle, I told you that I would do anything for my friends." She smiled at him.
Jareth returned with the big crystal ball. "This war has already lasted weeks, it will not last the night. Sarah, I think it's time we use it. If we could use it to make everyone immobile for just a moment I can use the crystal to bond with him. He wouldn't have a choice."
"How could we paralyze everyone? That's hundreds of people, Jareth." She asked. Sarah was completely baffled by him. "Have you lost your mind? It took a lot of energy to create that force field, it made me so weak and it was just a tiny one. How do you know that it won't kill us to use that much energy?"
Jareth shrugged and simply stated that they would think of something.