Sarah picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulders. She turned and glared at Jareth, who had followed her into the throne room. One hand gripped the strap of the bag firmly.
"If all you brought me here for was to steal a kiss, then you've succeeded. I want to get back to New Hampshire now" Sarah said calmly. Jareth paced around the room and begun a slow circling path around her. His silence perturbed Sarah, but she managed to keep her focus. "I didn't wish anyone away. You have no power over me."
"What are you studying at Dartmouth?" Jareth asked.
"Creative writing" Sarah replied. She moved her head to follow his circling.
"Not acting?" Jareth asked. "I would have guessed something more theatrical."
"Things change" Sarah said. "People change. I have changed."
"Have you?" Jareth asked in a whisper. He was still circling her, but had tightened the path so he was closer. "You still live in your head, as all writers do. I'm guessing that you read your work aloud when you get stuck, perhaps even act out the parts so you know what to write next."
"You've been spying on me" Sarah lightly accused. A smirk crossed Jareth's face.
"I have not" Jareth replied calmly. "I stopped checking in on you when you left your parents house."
"You spied on me for a few years?!" Sarah asked in a horrified tone. Jareth stopped his pacing and merely shrugged. A surge of anger flooded Sarah's mind and without a second thought she slapped Jareth across the face. The sharp sound and the sudden fear of Jareth's anger stopped her cold. The slap had been hard enough to force Jareth's head away from her. As a remedy, Sarah's mouth flew into fast action. "I'm sorry. I've never done that before."
"You seem to be a natural at it" Jareth replied touching his reddened cheek. His gaze remained rapacious. It, in fact, seemed to intensify enough to make Sarah back up a few steps. "Tell me Sarah, what did you think happened to the labyrinth once you left?" He stalked around her again. "Did you think that it was destroyed?"
"What?" Sarah asked. Her eyes skittered around, finding an answer. "I—I guess I just thought that it was okay. I won. I beat your labyrinth. I wasn't really planning on coming back here."
"What about your friends?" Jareth asked. Despite his wild eyes, he sounded genuinely curious. "Weren't you concerned about them?"
"Yes, of course" Sarah said. She glanced to her right and saw a wall just out of arms length. "Why do you want to know?"
"I've never actually had the chance to ask any of these questions to anyone" Jareth replied. "No one has ever made it through my labyrinth since I've ruled here." He kept his distance from her, allowing her to have her own bubble of space. "Why did you never call on me? I could have brought you back here. I don't believe you ever called your friends either. Why?"
"What is this? Twenty questions?" Sarah scoffed. Jareth loomed before her, waiting for an answer. "Fine. I told myself that it wasn't real."
"You didn't really believe that" Jareth said. Sarah stepped back and leaned against the wall.
"I had to" Sarah said. "It happened and then it was over. I couldn't tell anyone. What was I supposed to do?"
"What a burden to bear" Jareth teased. Sarah crossed her arms and stood up straight.
"Send me home" Sarah demanded.
"No" Jareth replied. He spun around and headed for his throne. Sarah followed him.
"Why not?" Sarah asked. Her hand went back to holding the strap of her bag, her knuckles squeezed white. "This is kidnapping!"
"Does all that yelling really work on anyone?" Jareth asked as he gracefully sat on his throne. He gestured to the pit in the middle of the room. "Take a seat." Sarah didn't move. "What are you working on with this creative writing degree? A book? Poetry? A play?"
"I have a novel that I'm writing" Sarah replied. "It's a fantasy thriller, before you ask."
Jareth sat in this throne taking in the information, processing it. He steepled his fingers in front of him and watched Sarah. She was trying to ignore him by taking in all the features of the throne room. He had her sized up, had insights on her person, before she could make her first observatory round.
Sarah was looking at the detail around the ceiling. Carved into the stonework were flowers and vines. She did a double take when a crystal floated past her. She looked over at Jareth who had stood up and was near her.
"Come with me" Jareth ordered. He walked out of the throne room and Sarah, curiosity gripping her, followed.
"Where are we going?" Sarah asked. She followed Jareth up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. Jareth flicked his hand and a heavy door opened. Jareth stepped into the room with Sarah trotting after him. She came to a halt when she saw the room. It was simple in design with ornately decorated furnishings. "Wow."
"You can stay here" Jareth told her.
"Stay here?" Sarah repeated. He was already heading for the door. "Hey! I don't want to stay here."
"I will return you in time for your classes" Jareth promised. "I'll call you for a bite to eat in a while. You look a little tired and hungry."
He left the room with the door closing behind him. Sarah let her head fall back while she uttered an 'ugh'. She set her bag down and took her coat off. She had a feeling that if she tried to leave the door would be locked and, even if it wasn't, she didn't have anywhere to run to. She sat on the bed next to her things.
"At least the room is nice" Sarah told herself. The room was stone and wood with tall windows of stained glass and French doors that Sarah was sure led to a decent size balcony. The bed was a simple four-posted bed with bed curtains secured at each post. There was a small armoire and a small vanity. Both were inlaid with stones and shells that formed a garden motif.
Ever curious, Sarah stood up and opened the armoire. Inside were a few hanging items and a few items folded on the built in shelving. She shut the armoire and went to sit at the vanity. She opened the drawers one by one. The drawers were mostly empty, but one of the full drawers held a journal and pencil, and one of the half drawers held a small vial of amber liquid.
Sarah held the vial of liquid and opened it. It smelled lovely; green and fruity by modern standards. Sarah replaced the cap and put it back in its drawer. The fruity notes in the perfume made her aware of her hunger. She wasn't sure what time it was underground, but in New Hampshire it was certainly past her normal dinner time. She opened the drawer with the journal and took it over to the bed.
She lay down and flipped open the journal. It was blank, as if waiting for her to fill the pages. Instead of writing something, she began drawing. Sarah filled five pages with doodles when some of the doodles moved and formed the words "Are you hungry?" Sarah wasn't completely taken aback. She was in the labyrinth and things were magical here. She simply wrote "Yes".
Dining with Jareth felt nerve-wracking. He politely picked at some fruit and cheese while watching her eat a hot meal brought to her by a goblin with a droopy mouth. She took a bite of the meat and found it to be chicken. It was moist and spicy.
"Like it?" Jareth asked.
"Yes" Sarah replied. Jareth sipped a glass of wine.
"Sure I can't offer you some wine?" Jareth asked. Sarah shook her head 'no' as she chewed.
"What do you want from me?" Sarah asked between bites. Jareth took a sip of wine before answering.
"I would like to impress upon you a great deal of wonder and lust in a short period of time" Jareth replied. "Until Sunday night, your time."
Sarah stopped eating and tried not to stare with her mouth open. "Are you…asking me out on a date?"
"Well…." Jareth said. "Yes." He sipped his wine. "Tonight, it will be dinner, dancing, whatever you'd like."
"This is too weird" Sarah whispered to herself. Sarah put on her best serious face. "I do not want to date you. I don't even want to be here."
"Yes, well" Jareth said a little put out. "When my brother returns I'll have him escort you home." He stood up, taking his glass and the wine bottle. "I'll leave you to eat in peace. Good day, Sarah."
Sarah watched Jareth storm out of the dining room, leaving her alone. She felt a little guilty for having said those words to him, but it seemed like it had to be done. As soon as she was sure he was gone, she got up and headed for her temporary room. Her thoughts were building up inside of her and all she wanted to do was write until she fell asleep.