"I'm sorry Sarah"

"Sorry Sarah"

"…ry Sarah"

"Sarah."

"Sarah"

"Sarah"

"Sarah!"

Sarah shot bolt upright up in bed. Sunlight hitting her straight in the eyes made her lay down again just as fast and with an added groan.

"My lady! Are you in excruciating pain?"

"Light…out" she managed to gasp trying to calm her pounding head.

Cool darkness prevailed and Sarah let out a short sigh of relief. "Sarah, fwend….drink" Came a quiet voice, a glass of something cold was given carefully into her hands. Sarah had the brief sensation of paws before the supporting hands were taken away.

"Now ludo, that wah good thinking of ya" came a gruff voice as Sarah sipped the water, her eyes still shut.

At the sound of that voice she froze "H…hoggle?" she managed to gasp out opening her eyes. "Oh my gods"


Jareth meanwhile wasn't faring much better. He woke up in a mess, his clothes and bed were covered in the blue of his blood, aching and sick he wondered if he was going to die.

Whats happening? This can't be happening, this isn't happening, I'm regressing, Dad's going to flip, he'll send me back, Irene will kill me, she'll kill me this time, oh gods whats going on? Shut your eyes, it's just a bad dream

Jareth groaned at the thoughts assailing his own, forgot the mindlink Still the thoughts went on, spiralling into a pit of despair.

Sarah he finally snarled in desperation KEEP IT DOWN

There was a silence that had shock written all over it, then suddenly a reply with venom YOU.

Sarah's mind went silent.

Jareth didn't care, as he passed out at this point.


Hoggle, Ludo and sir Didymus were a bit surprised when Sarah's eyes snapped open and she sat upright with a snarl.

She staggered out of bed and without a word stalked towards the door and left the room.

"D'ye think we should follow her?" Hoggle said with a gulp

"Most certainly!"


Sarah was livid, even if this is a nightmare – he has no right to be in it! She strode towards his room, not even questioning where it was. She knew. She had sensed it earlier when he had DARED to invade her mind.

Ripping open a door that was identical to every other on a corridor Sarah stormed in. "Goblin king" She said filling her voice with spite "You can bloody well…." She trailed off realising the blond haired man wasn't even listening.

The sight that met her eyes was not pretty, the goblin king was sprawled, collapsed on his bed. The bed that looked like someone had had a rather bad accident with some metallic blue paint. Sarah noticed it everywhere, the doorframe, towards the bed, covering the kings body, streaked through his white blond hair, coming from cuts and bruises. Oh gods...she thought appalled is that his BLOOD?!

Jareth chose this moment to groan go away. He sent

"No" Sarah said "This is one twisted dream"

Jareth let out a laughing sigh, the movement causing some scars to re-open go away he said even more weakly "just…leave...me alone…"

Sarah snorted and Jareth slumped.

"Goblin king?" She said carefully approaching

There was no response

"Goblin king!" she said more loudly, reaching out to touch his shoulder but pulling back as she noticed a bruise there.

"Jareth…what happened?"

"Majesty!" Sir Didymus chose that moment to appear followed by a puffing Hoggle and a carefully lumbering Ludo.

"Ach! Sarah what did'cha do to him!" Hoggle practically screamed looking around at all the blood.

"Blood….." Ludo said mournfully

Sarah waves her hands in front of her to show they were clean "it wasn't me! He was like this when I arrived!"

"His Majesty has a rather high temperature" Sir Didymus said touching his sensitive nose against the kings forehead, it came away with some dried blood, he grimaced and wiped it off.

"Ludo" Sarah said to the cowering creature "Come on, he's too heavy for us to move alone"

"blood.." Ludo almost howled

"This king is hurt Ludo…do you want him to stay hurt?" Sarah said appealing to Ludo's sensitive side

Ludo pondered "Sarah…hurt, by king?"

Sarah paused "noo….Sarah, i mean, I wasn't hurt by him" she shook her head physically

They managed to get the king washed, luckily Sarah was able to persuade Ludo to do the actual cleaning and change Jareth into a pair of shorts she found in the drawers nearby.

While Ludo did that Hoggle changed the bedding and Sarah, with Sir Didymus' help scrubbed as much blood as they could off the floor.

"Sarah….king" Ludo said uncertainly holding a slightly dripping king in the bathroom doorway.

"Bed Ludo please" Sarah said pointing to the bed where towels had been laid to protect the now clean bedding. Sarah looked down at the wounds the king had, this looks bad Sarah had done a first aid course at high school, taking advanced when she had gone to college, and she suddenly realised she would need every scrap of knowledge she had to help him. Why am I helping him rather then leaving him in a pool of his own blood?

"Hoggle, I need a lit candle, strong thread and a silver needle if you can get me them"

"Yes Sarah!" Hoggle said confused and ran off

Ludo had retreated to the corner and was tearing up one of Jareth's shirts for bandages whilst Sarah looked Jareth over again.

His temperature is high, his lips are blue, he's dehydrated, starved, does he even eat? Fever, some of those wounds look like burns…his whole back looks burnt, what could cause burning on the back, and all these cuts and bruises on the front? His face…it looks like he's been beaten and burnt at the same time…even to do that to Jareth…what kind of monster would do this?

She sat back rubbing her neck when he wakes up I'll need to work out when I can wake up.

Hoggle had returned carrying the lit candle very carefully on a table far out of the kings reach. Sarah took the needle from him and began to pass it through the flame, sterilising it. She then threaded the needle.

"Hold him down" She ordered beginning to neatly stitch a long wound on his side.

Jareth moaned and strained against the three creatures.

Sarah sighed looking at everything she had to do, and the now blue needle. Gritting her teeth she carried on her work.

"Sarah" Hoggle's voice broke her concentration

"Ow" she muttered sucking her finger where the needle had pricked damn that needle is sharp…she stared at her finger, the drop of blood slowly welling up my blood…my pain…


Hoggle was surprised when Sarah suddenly let out a scream and ran from the room. About to go after her, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. Hoggle looked up into mismatched, unfocused eyes "Stop..." Jareth hissed painfully "Leave…her…" Then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head.

"His majesty appears to be fainting a lot" Didymus commented carefully

Hoggle rubbed his head "Well, tis nuthin to do with us now is it?"

Ludo was missing.