Hello all! Here is another chapter, actually probably my longest one yet lol. Just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who are favoring, following, and reviewing...it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to know that you like my story. I know that a lot of you are anxiously awaiting Jareth and Sarah time and I tried to include a little bit in this chapter, but also please remember that I am trying "Slow Build", I don't want the relationship to be rushed too much and have it seem unrealistic, I am trying to stick to the personalities as much as I can. Also there are going to be important relationship developments coming up in the next chapter so hang on till then. Also you may be wondering why the owl is acting "weird" well the developments in the next chapter will explain all of it, but just so you know yes it is Jareth, but no it is not quite what it seems.
Also please remember that my story is rated M for a reason and will continue to be so. I am welcome to ideas, comments etc so PLEASE continue writing them-was that desperate enough?
And on another note, please remember I claim no ownership of any of Jim Henson's characters, so no Goblin King tied up in my basement *wink* but I do claim ownership of the insane plot and crazy little goblins.
Hope you enjoy, please, please, please let me know what you think.
Chapter Seven
Sarah looked up and met the eyes of a smirking Goblin King. She fought back the blush that was now making itself known across her face. Embarrassed to say the least Sarah scrambled to her feet, wiping her face of water and the remnants of suds that were slowly sliding down.
"Well Queeny?" asked the Goblin King smirking.
"Why are you calling me Queeny?" asked Sarah confused.
"Ah, Ah, Ah, I asked you first Precious." chuckled the king.
"We were cleaning…" mumbled Sarah looking around.
"We?" asked the Goblin King confused.
"Yes, the goblins and I were cleaning the throne room." shrugged Sarah casually.
"Let me see if I understand you Sarah, you managed to get the goblins to help you clean?" asked the Goblin King dumbfounded.
"Yes…" said Sarah hesitantly.
"How on earth did you manage that Precious?" the king asked unable to hide the awe in his voice.
"….threatened…bath…." mumbled Sarah turning red.
"What was that Sarah?" asked the king trying to keep the chuckle out of his voice.
"I threatened them with a bath…" muttered Sarah breaking eye contact with the king.
Silence settled in the room for a long moment, when Sarah suddenly jumped in surprise as a jovial laugh erupted from the Goblin King. "But surely Precious they realize that they are—" the king began only to be cut off, by Sarah slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Shhhhhhh! If they overhear you I'll lose my leverage!" scowled Sarah, who was still completely oblivious to the fact that she had her wet, soapy hand over the mouth of a king.
The Goblin King stared down at Sarah with a raised brow. This was a new side to her, and he found her reaction highly amusing.
She sagged with relief when she realized that none of the goblins had caught on to what the king had been implying, but then again they were rather dimwitted little creatures. Her attention was immediately brought back to her current situation though when she felt a pair of hands settle on her hips. Sarah gasped in surprise when she noticed that her hand was still covering the mouth a particularly arrogant Goblin King. Blushing and unsure of what to say Sarah quickly retracted her hand, hoping that this incident would soon be forgotten. However no such luck seemed to be on her side, for still the king did not release her. Frantically Sarah looked around for assistance only to realize that due to the king's presence all of his subjects had fled the now clean throne room.
"You should be careful Precious…you never know what one may assume based upon your forward actions. For example, they may think you were being insubordinate…" whispered the Goblin King leaning down to brush his lips against her throat, "or they may think you where flirting with them…asking for them…to seduce you…" said the king huskily punctuating each statement with a light kiss moving slowly up her throat towards her face. "to kiss you…" he taunted his lips hovering above hers.
Sarah trembled within the Goblin King's grasp. He was so overwhelming, so sexual, she didn't particularly like him, but even so she found herself wondering what it would be like to feel his lips against her own. Would he be forceful and passionate taking what he wanted as he believed himself to be entitled to, or would he surprise her and be gentle and considerate, making sure that she enjoyed it as much as he did.
He had never wanted anything as much as he wanted the small mortal woman within his arms. It surprised him how much he desired her, never had anyone had this much effect on him before and it was unnerving to think that she already had this much control over him after only a few days. What would he become after prolonged exposure to her and her innocence? If his goblins didn't push him past the brink of sanity he was sure that this woman would.
Suddenly there was a loud banging followed by the muttered curses of someone outside the doorway. Before the Goblin King could forcefully order whoever was at the door to disappear or risk being bogged Sarah had managed to free herself from his grasp as was moving across the room to open the door for the said intruder.
Sarah took a deep breath trying to calm her racing pulse and settle her nerves; to say that she was rattled was an understatement. While her knowledge about men was limited at best, even more so when dealing with supernatural ones, she had no illusions about the heat she had seen in his gaze, and she knew that if they had been left uninterrupted he would have kissed her, and she was honest enough with herself to admit that she would have kissed him back.
The king growled low in his throat, promising himself that he was going to bog the fool who had chosen that moment to interrupt them.
"Come in!" he bellowed crossing his arms and tapping his boot against the stone floor, assuming an expression of irritation.
As Sarah pulled back the door, she couldn't help the gasp of surprise that escaped her lips, for there stood a creature unlike any of the goblins she had seen in the castle thus far. He looked more like a man than a goblin, we was wearing a white poets shirt, with a fitted leather vest and cap, his pants were baggy and almost similar to what she would call cargo pants. He had a satchel at his side and a ring of keys and jewels hooked onto his belt.
"Jareth!" snarled the creature in a fit or rage.
"Ah, Hoghead to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked the king snidely.
"Grrrrr…It's HOGGLE!" growled the small man.
"Hoghead—Hoggle…is there truly that much of a difference?" asked the Goblin King exasperated.
The creature known as Hoggle glared at the king before muttering a few choice curses under his breath.
"We needs ta talk Jareth." said Hoggle much more calmly as he looked around the throne room, starting in surprise when he saw Sarah standing off to the side unsure of what she was supposed to do.
"Well now that explains it…no wonder yer little pants were in a twist I was interruptin' time with yer newest whore." snorted Hoggle.
Sarah fought back a gasp of shock at the implication and insult. She was no one's whore, and she most certainly did not want to be this king's anything.
"You forget yourself Haggle. I am your king, I may be generous, but I can just as easily be cruel. What I do with my time and how I choose to spend it is my business and no one else's." threatened the Goblin King softly.
"I be forgotten nothin'yer Majesty, ya be remindin' me often enough." grumbled Hoggle annoyed.
"Good, I'm glad you remember your station. I would hate to have to bog you…again." chuckled the king.
Sarah stood by watching as the scene unfolded in front of her, and to say that she was surprised was an understatement. Sure she knew that the Goblin King had subjects that worked closely with him, but she was beyond surprised at the small creature's casual use of Jareth's first name. Up until that moment she had only ever thought of him as the "Goblin King", completely forgetting that there was probably more to this particular monarch then she had seen.
Seeing this as a chance to escape before she ended up kissing the king and gaining a new and unflattering label to go along with it; she edged towards the doorway trying to be as quiet as possible.
"Where do you think you are going Precious?" asked the Goblin King catching her off guard, making her jump.
"Going? I was um…I was going to my room…I'm all wet and need to dry off…" mumbled Sarah debating whether or not she should continue to answer his questions or make a break for it.
Jareth stood there for a moment staring at her, when suddenly a lascivious grin spread across his face, "I'm glad to know that I have that effect on you Sarah…but I would be more than happy to take care of your problem for you, and I can assure you my way would be much more…pleasurable..." purred the Goblin King.
Sarah sputtered in shock, how dare he?! Without waiting for a response turned around once again and began to walk towards the doorway at a much faster pace. The sooner she got back to her room, the sooner she could scream in anger and frustration.
"Oh and Precious?" added Jareth unable to help himself.
"Yes your Majesty?" growled Sarah grinding her teeth.
"Your wardrobe looks stunning on you…I may have to insist that you dress this way all the time…" the king teased letting his statement trail off suggestively.
Sarah looked at him puzzled, what on earth was he talking about? She was wearing a similar outfit to what she had worn the day before and he had not commented about it yesterday. Shrugging to herself she wordlessly turned around and fled the throne room and its occupants.
The Goblin King watched as she ran from the room, unable to keep the grin off of his face. She was so easy to tease, making herself even more appealing when she appeared so vulnerable, blushing with her eyes averted.
"What games are ya playin' now Jareth?" asked Hoggle looking to where the girl known as Sarah had escaped.
"No game Higgle, Sarah is my property, and what I choose to do with that property is not of concern to you. Now what was so urgent that you saw fit to disturb me?" asked the Goblin King throwing himself down onto his throne.
Hoggle looked at his king, ignoring the jib about his name; it seemed to be something that Jareth found amusing and did often enough when he was trying to get a rise out of him. But what had him truly curious was this girl Sarah. He knew that despite his earlier accusation she was not his whore, she looked and acted far too innocent, it was further evident when Jareth had begun to taunt her and she had simply reacted by blushing and turning away; a whore would have flirted back shameless, flaunting herself uncaring of who might have been present in the room. She was an intriguing little thing, unlike any women Jareth had ever shown interest in before, it appeared as though she did not fear him and unlike most of the women from the past she didn't even appear to like the arrogant monarch. Was she uncomfortable around him? Yes, but afraid of him? No. And while Jareth claimed he was playing no games Hoggle knew his king and he knew his king's love of games and his enjoyment of toying with people; his refusing to say his name correctly was proof enough of that. But he also knew what genuine interest and curiosity looked like, and he saw that in his eyes as well. Where this was going to lead was beyond him, but as long as this Sarah was considered property there could be no future for them. Sighing to himself, Hoggle shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned his attention back to the present and his annoyed king.
"Yer Majesty, we need ta discuss some of the reports I've gotten from Didymus…it's 'bout the labyrinth…somethin's wrong with it." sighed Hoggle pulling out a large scroll of parchment, opening it as he approached Jareth.
Jareth sat up at Hoggle's declaration, what ever was wrong with the labyrinth must have been relatively serious of Hoggle and Didymus were concerned about it. "What do the reports say?" asked the king sitting forward with his hands pressed together against his mouth, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"The reports been sayin' that there's been sightin's of stange creatures, some of the goblins livestock has been found missin', some strange noises are also comin' from it. Lots of the guards won't even step foot in there any more." said Hoggle looking up at the king as he finished with the report. He had to give Jareth credit, he may not necessarily care for the man, but Jareth took his responsibilities and the care of his subjects and land very seriously.
"Does anyone have any ideas about what we could be dealing with?" asked the king standing up, beginning to pacing back and forth. This was far more serious then he had anticipated. The labyrinth was essential to—if anyone decided to target it—no! The thought was unimaginable. It looked like he was going to have to go out there and see how severe the problem was.
"—No yer Majesty, we've sent scouts out ta try an' figure out what's what, but no luck…some o' the scouts were hurt, an' some never came back." mumbled Hoggle looking down. "Theys was my friends…" he sighed.
And for once Jareth realized that teasing the small man was not the best idea; it seemed that he had lost some "friends" and mocking him would only work to incite his anger, leaving the problem without a resolution, besides he now had much larger concerns to go over.
"Very well Hoggle. It seems that a journey to the labyrinth in order." said the Goblin King striding over to the balcony.
"B—But Jareth, we's still have things ta talk 'bout!" shout Hoggle startled by the king's words and actions.
The Goblin King jerked to a halt in surprise. "Oh, and what else is there to discuss Hoghead?" asked Jareth snidely.
"There was some invitations bein' sent ta ya, an' answers need ta sent back." said Hoggle reaching into the satchel at his side and digging out a couple of elegantly decorated envelopes.
The king released a breath and grumbled frustrated while he slumped back onto his throne, "Fine, fine, proceed Haggle…" sighed Jareth rubbing his temples in irritation. This had been an absolutely horrid day. Court had been torturous at best, then there was his interrupted moment with Sarah, and now this situation with the labyrinth. It seemed that this day was going to be dragged out and only continue to get worse.
"Your mother sent one of em'. She wants ya to visit er' at yer earliest convenience…" stated Hoggle opening up one of the invitations and reading it aloud.
Jareth groaned and slumped further down into his seat, apparently this day was going to continue getting worse.
Sarah sighed in relief at the sound of her door closing behind her. Looking around her room she was glad to see it absent of any arrogant Goblin Kings, yawning she rolled her shoulders and spotted a covered tray waiting for her on her bed. Walking over to it she lifted the lid and was happy to see a warm bowl of stew and loaf of warm white bread. The aroma floated to her nose and she felt her mouth begin to water. Shivering suddenly Sarah realized she was still soaked and soapy; recovering the tray she walked into the bathing chamber and started to fill the tub with warm water, walking back out she walked over to her dresser and was about to grab a fresh set of clothes when her reflection caught her attention. She gasped and felt her entire face turn red. The king's teasing about her wardrobe now making sense; for in the mirror her reflection gazed back at her horrified. Her white blouse was soaked through and clinging to her breasts, while the cold water had caused her nipples to pebble and press against the shirt, her curves had been on display the whole time she had been in the presence of Jareth and he had, had ample time to stare. Running back into the bathing chamber Sarah quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the warm water, carefully washing all of the grime and soap out of her hair. Once she was warm and satisfyingly clean she dried off and redressed and ravenously devoured the lunch that had been left for her.
After she had consumed her lunch she stood back up and stretched walking out and onto the balcony, leaning against the railing she sighed and let her thoughts drift. Her earlier encounter with the Goblin King had left her feeling shaken and unsure. Was he eventually going to expect that she become his whore? He had implied that he wanted to continue what they had been doing, but Sarah wasn't sure, one minute he had assured her that her duties were nothing sexual and the next moment he was sexually harassing her. The idea of receiving such a title as his "whore" made her feel sick. She wanted what most young women wanted; to be loved, and seen for who she really was, not what people wanted her to be or what people assumed about who she was. But she knew that the potential for any real relationship was forever lost; she would never be allowed to have a normal life like all of her friends. She was going to spend the rest of her life in servitude to the Goblin King, or risk her baby brother being taken away.
She sighed and blinked fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape. She was all alone, there was no one for her to talk to, no one to advise her, or help her understand her feelings. She tried to consol herself with the fact that her little brother was safe and sound, but in all honesty that did little to help ease the ache in her heart. She laid her head upon her arms and wept. She wept for the loss of her family, of her future, of her entire life. Never had she realized how much she would miss the things that she had taken for granted until she lost them.
Suddenly she heard a flapping of wings and the sound of something land on the railing next to her. Glancing up she was surprised to see snow white barn owl sitting on the railing a few feet away from her, staring at her intently.
"Oh, hello there." said Sarah watching the owl as it tilted its head as if listening to her.
Sarah couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up out of her throat, not only was she now talking to an animal, but she was also imagining that it could understand what she was saying.
The owl remained unmoving, even when she pushed away from the railing and slowly approached the bird. As Sarah stepped closer the only response from the owl she received was another tilt of its head. Smiling to herself again Sarah reached out a hand slowly towards the bird waiting for the creature to flap its wings and fly away or screech and try and bite her, however neither occurred. The owl remained still and as her hand got closer all the owl did was blink at her. When her hand met the breast she was surprised by how soft its feathers were; the owl allowed her to stroke and pet it, never once moving in a sign of aggression.
Sarah leaned back against the railing only this time she kept one hand stroking the bird's soft feathers. She was surprised to say the least by this owl's sociable personality, she had once read somewhere that owls were very aggressive and often violent, so it was of course a shock when this owl not only allowed to be so close but was also allowing her to touch it.
"Hmmm, do you want to be my friend?" asked Sarah smiling down at the bird.
Again it seemed as if the owl was actually responding to her question for it let out a soft hoot.
Laughing Sarah gently scratched its head as she stared out at the Goblin Kingdom. She liked this owl, it was amusing that it seemed to respond to her, it was almost like it knew what she was say—Sarah abruptly jerked out of her thoughts, how stupid could she be? This was a magical kingdom, with goblins and if she had to bet money on it, she would also guess that there were lots of other little creatures that were of the supernatural variety as well.
"Can you actually understand me?" asked Sarah hesitantly, feeling like a lunatic for even asking.
Once again the owl hooted in response.
Sarah blinked in surprise, surely that could have been a mere coincidence, the chances of the owl being something other than and owl seemed a little preposterous.
"Alright Sarah, time for the men and white to come and take you away…" Sarah mumbled to herself.
Again all the owl did was turn its head and stare at her.
"Fine, if you can understand me come and land on my shoulder." shrugged Sarah already prepared for the disappointment of discovering it really was just an owl, when suddenly she felt a slight pressure on her left shoulder and looked over to see the owl staring down at her.
"Holy crap…you aren't just an owl…" whispered Sarah in awe.
