Disclaimer: Labyrinth – not mine. Jareth – not mine (at the moment…) Sarah – not mine. OC's – MINE! Oh yea! I shall be rich! Rich I tell you! Mwahahaha!
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Labyrinth: The Dream Never Ends
By: Eriksleadinglady
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Chapter 2: The idea is just a way for us to understand
They got to her room in no time at all, since it was located only three hallways and two turns away from the throne room, as Jareth had told her. Even now, Sarah knew that sometime while she was here, she was going to get lost, and along with that, she knew that Jareth would be watching from one of his crystals, just laughing.
But when she entered into her room, all of her previous thoughts flew from her mind. The bedroom was breathtaking, leaving Sarah staring in wide-eyed wonder at how marvelous the decorations were. The room was a dark burgundy and gold, and the sunlight was shining in through the large window, casting a bright glow all around the room. Against the wall in the center was a circular, king-sized bed, with an oak nightstand to the left, and a large, golden-framed mirror above it. The bed had a burgundy comforter, with gold Egyptian cotton sheets, and several matching color throw pillows lined against the back. The window adjacent to the bed had a beautiful view of the Labyrinth, showcasing its many green forests and hedges, also letting the person in the room hear all the wildlife sounds coming from the Labyrinth – chirping, an occasional roar, and the rustling of the wind through the trees.
On top of the oak furniture – nightstand, dresser, and counter – were red roses, red carnations, and some dancing figurines. She wasn't sure whom the figurines were, but she did know that all the men and women were dressed formally. The women were in gorgeous flowing gowns, some a rosy pink, others a bright yellow, and some dark red. The men were in black tuxes and ties with a white undershirt and cuffs. It reminded Sarah slightly of the masquerade that she had gone to the last time she was here… or rather her dream masquerade.
In the corner of the room, there was a life size statue of the Goblin King. The placement of the statue in the royal room was somewhat of a downfall for its elegance. Everything else was beautifully crafted and exquisitely colored, while the statue was just made of plain, white stone – nothing special. When Sarah saw it she rolled her eyes. She spun around and looked at Jareth, who was leaning against the doorframe, just admiring his arrangement.
"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked, pointing a finger at the statue.
Jareth smiled. "It is there for your purposes."
Sarah fought her hardest to hold in the laughter after that last comment. Her purposes? She didn't even want the real thing! Why in the world would she want a statue of him? "I have no use for such a thing." She looked at it once more. "Actually, I would feel more comfortable if you removed it. It is really creepy…" In a beautiful way…
Jareth stood up straight as he walked into the room, placing himself in front of the statue and stared at it. "You really don't like it?" he asked as he posed himself next to it, recreating the same stance that his stone self was in – both hands on hips and chest puffed out. "I think it looks identical."
Sarah stifled more laughter. "I never said it didn't look like you. I just don't want "you" in here all the time."
Jareth only shrugged. "As you wish. It is your safety."
"Safety?" she repeated. His last comment had piqued her curiosity. "What safety?"
"Oh, the usual. From uncontrollable magicks, spying servants, goblins, creatures of the deep…" He paused. "But if you don't want protection, then…"
Just as he was about to vanish the statue, Sarah put up her hands to stop him and yelled, "Wait!"
Jareth smirked, but he waited, just as she had commanded.
"How does it work?" Sarah asked hesitantly.
His smile just widened into a grin. "Well, you know. Whenever an intruder is in your room, magical powder shoots out in all directions, blinding the trespasser and knocking him to the floor unconscious."
Sarah looked at him skeptically, not believing a word that he was saying; not even in this land of make-believe. "I want the truth, Jareth."
He sighed. "Oh, fine. The statue does sense intruders; I wasn't lying about that. And whenever it does, it comes to life and acts just like I do. Since I am the king of this realm, the all-powerful ruler and all that, whoever enters in here against your or my will, will definitely leave. No one is fool enough to try and take what is mine, or intrude on my guest's privacy. Therefore, this statue is told to say that you belong to me and that no one is to touch you or your things, or else they'll report to me. The real me."
Sarah stayed silent. She walked closer to the statue and observed it once more, looking it over. She supposed that it was convenient and a good idea… but it was still creepy. It felt like it was the real King and not a statue. She just wasn't sure if she would want him around her all the time. Plus, what if he had some sort of spying magick placed within it and could watch her every move in here? Sarah still wasn't sure if she trusted this Goblin King. What had he ever done for her? Only steal away her little brother and make her run through a giant maze where he tricked her and her friends. But he had given her time and she did get her brother back… but not for very long, only until the accident. But that wasn't Jareth's fault. In the Labyrinth, Sarah had wanted to be scared, and Jareth was the villain; she wished away her brother, and he took him. Perhaps there was more to Jareth than she had thought. Was he possibly trying to be nice? Or was he using another one of his tricks?
But at last, after all her debating, Sarah finally gave in to him, only because it would be useful to have protection against God-knows-what in this place.
"Fine," she said as she still faced the statue. "It can stay. But no tricks, Jareth. And I mean it." She paused, thinking about what he had said earlier. "And I am not yours."
He shrugged. "Not yet. But, saying so will just keep you safe; for now."
As he was about to leave the room, he added one more thing. "I will call for you in two hours for breakfast, Sarah. You must be starving by now."
He watched as Sarah only nodded dumbly as she observed her room in depth, and then he turned away, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
When he had left, Sarah noticed another door in the wall to the far left. Suddenly Sarah had the feeling that she needed to freshen up a bit and prayed that the door led to a bathroom. Once she opened the door, however, all of her expectations were exceeded.
The room was a bathroom, yes, and a huge bathroom at that. There was a giant, silver bath carved into the middle, the water just nearly rising to the top of the floor. In the bath, the water looked clear as the sky, and there was also a sparkling, sizzling spring set near the back. The water produced steam, which was all over the ground, covering it in a two-inch layer. There were also sinks and cupboards filled with scented shampoos and soaps that Sarah couldn't wait to try. There was strawberry, vanilla, lavender, ginger, magick, pixie dust, and many, many others. The mixture of the aromas sent out a magical scent that made it hard for Sarah to even describe because it was so magnificent- it was like heaven, to say the least. But before she could do anything, she noticed a mirror on the side of the wall, showing her reflection. It was somewhat of an imposing feature, and she wasn't sure if she felt comfortable with it right there. For a moment, Sarah thought about covering it up with a sheet, but then she thought herself to be quite foolish for being afraid of a silly mirror.
Shaking her head, Sarah went over to the cupboards and picked out lavender and vanilla scented matching shampoo and soap. Along with those, she also grabbed some vanilla colored towels and washcloths. Seeing all of her newly found items and the hot bath that awaited her, Sarah was now quite excited about treating herself with these wonderful pleasures.
Carefully stripping off her clothes and placing them carefully on the edge of the bath, Sarah hopped into the water and gently relaxed her back on the edge. The water felt warm and soothing, and she could feel it cleansing her body and washing away all the impurities.
Grabbing the shampoo, she squirted some into her palm and relished in the refreshing scent before she lathered it into her black, wet hair. Then she used the soap and washcloth to clean the rest of her body before she rinsed off.
After she felt fully clean and replenished, she continued to soak in the bath, never wanting to leave its warmth. She slowly closed her eyes, just listening to the soft 'pop' of the water bubbles and the flow of the water around her. It was extremely soothing to Sarah to just be able to relax, since she had to face Jareth for the past… how long had it been? Sarah wasn't sure how long it had been since she had been sleeping in her bed and then wound up here in the Goblin King's bath, but it sure felt like forever.
She could feel her eyes beginning to get heavy, and she let them slowly droop until she fell into a light doze.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
She awoke some time later to the sound of knocking on the door -- her bedroom door. Sarah cursed under her breath as she realized that she was still in the bath, not dressed, her hair soaked, and not presentable at all. Quickly she jumped out of the bath and grabbed her towel, wrapping it securely around her body. Grabbing her shampoo, soap, and other clothes, she put everything back into its rightful place and then went into her bedroom.
The knocking persisted impatiently.
"Just a minute!" she yelled, trying to buy as much time as she could. She knew that Jareth would probably be angry with her for being so late, and she was slightly frightened to face him. It was now eleven in the morning, and what time had she gone into the bath at? 8? 9? She wasn't sure. But she did know that she was late, very late.
The knocking became a demanding pounding, echoing throughout the room.
At this, Sarah got very irritated. Couldn't he wait for just a minute? What was the rush? "I said just a minute!" she yelled again as she walked over to the door, fully dressed in the provided black knee-length skirt and the low-cut silk purple top. But her hair was still soaked, clinging to her face and her clothes, getting little wet drops all along her back.
When she opened up the door, however, she was thoroughly surprised to not see Jareth standing there. Instead, it was what appeared to be a midget… a yellow midget, that is. The look on her face must have caught the man off guard, for he began with a rude, "What? Have you never seen a midget before?"
Immediately, Sarah smiled politely, apologizing for her behavior. "Forgive me, sir. I was just expecting the King. You surprised me, that's all."
The little man grunted. "Well, the Highness requests your presence immediately. He has been asking for you for the past forty-five minutes, but you would not answer. However, when I told his Majesty this, he told me to not disturb you and to not enter into your room without permission." A pause. "But when you still would not answer, he became angry with me and yelled at me for my 'incompetence' and demanded that I would have you sitting in front of him in five minutes, or else he would have my head!"
Sarah's jaw dropped. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry for the trouble that I have caused you. Here, let me just do my hair – "
But before she could go do her hair, the man grabbed her by the arm and forced her out of the room and down the stairs. "No time for anything else, Miss. He wants you there now."
And so Sarah could object no further as the man dragged her through the castle and out to the gardens, where Jareth was sitting at a little table for two, prepared with the finest breakfast entrees. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, which opened up just a little in the front, and fitted black leather pants. His hair was tied in the back with stray wisps dancing in front of his face. When he saw Sarah, he looked at her with disapproval. He waved off the servant and then gestured for Sarah to take a seat.
Jareth looked at her, demanding an answer without any words. He looked her over and noted her wet hair. He nodded to himself. He had suspected that she would go into the Bath, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it now that she had. It was not off limits, or anything, just sometimes, certain magicks came about that were not friendly, but just rather pesky annoyances. They liked to play tricks on other creatures, especially ones that they did not know. The correct term for these magicks - or rather just what Jareth liked to call them – were pixies. They were not actual pixies, per se, but they were magicks that liked to embody the shape of pixies. Mischievous little brats they were. But, she looked unharmed enough, so he supposed that everything was just fine.
He clasped his hands together as he placed his elbows on the table. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Running late today, aren't we?"
Sarah blushed slightly and looked down at her hands. "I… I guess I fell asleep."
"You guess you fell asleep?" he mocked. "Shouldn't you know when you fell asleep and when you didn't?"
Sarah's eyes narrowed. Just who does he think he is? "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
He shrugged. "Shall we eat?"
Sarah nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, she was ravenous and this food looked positively delicious. Everything that she wanted, could possibly have wanted, was on the table: pancakes, waffles, crêpes, croissants, orange juice, apple juice… everything.
Looking over the food with hunger, Sarah began piling up her plate with assorted treats. When she finally finished, her plate was fully stacked with enough food to feed an army. Jareth looked on at her plate with real amusement, honestly wondering if she would eat it all. All of the women that he had previously dined with usually only grabbed a thing or two. But, of course, he chided himself. Sarah is not like the other women.
Sarah noted his staring and wondered what in the world he was so amused by. Then she looked down at her plate and felt a slight blush rise in her cheeks. She had grabbed a mighty portion of food in her haste for fulfillment. Still, she felt uncomfortable when he stared at her like that, like he was seeing something that she couldn't, like he was in on some sort of secret. It made her squirm in her seat, thinking that she could avoid his gaze.
"Um…" she started, shifting her gaze. "Is there… something that I should know?"
Jareth smiled. "Oh, no, just enjoying the picture of your conspicuous appetite."
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What? Can a girl not eat?"
"A girl can, no question," he replied mischievously. "But a woman, must be polite and know when enough is enough."
"Well excuse me if I do not live up to your womens' examples."
Jareth's eyes flashed. "If any woman wants to marry one day, then they must know their place," he said coldly.
Sarah became silent, not knowing what she should say. She did understand why some women must have exceptional manners, but where she came from, eating to fulfillment was normal, if not encouraged. Why was it so different here?
"Why are women expected to be so refined?" she asked hesitantly.
"A man cannot have his wife embarrassing him in public, with manners that you are displaying. It is the wife's job to act accordingly. But, of course, not everyone gets married, so I suppose that not every woman must show these manners. If they want to settle down, however, then politeness is a must."
"But why doesn't everyone just get married?" Sarah wondered, still confused.
"Most Fae nobles do not get married. Most do not believe in love, so there is no purpose. In order to please themselves, they usually get a mistress, if they do not marry, that is."
"They don't believe in love?" Sarah responded.
Jareth nodded. "Some of the Fae do not view their love as love, just lust."
"Wait a minute…" Sarah questioned, light dawning in her eyes. "You're a Fae?"
Jareth fought back laughter. "What, you thought I was a goblin?"
"Well, no," she said defiantly. "I just didn't know what you were."
"Now you know."
"So back to the subject," she continued. "Are you going to marry one day?"
"Only kings marry for a queen and an heir. Because they want to be sure that the king is the father of the child, and that he is not a bastard child, they do not sleep around," he answered simply.
"So are you personally looking for a queen?"
Jareth smiled devilishly. "I have found my queen."
Sarah nearly choked on her food at his last statement. Was he talking about her? She was astonished that he would come out and say it so straightforwardly. He had not even asked her to marry him yet, so how did he expect her to be his queen?
Jareth, all the while, stared at her with great amusement. From the way she had responded, he knew that she thought that he was talking about her. He smiled at the thought of her reaction upon learning that she was not to be queen, but somebody else.
"It's not you," he said simply, an evil grin on his face.
Sarah frowned as she tried to take in what he just said. "What?"
"You are not to be my queen," he repeated.
"If not me," Sarah considered, "then who?"
"I have found a princess from the Middle Kingdom."
Sarah was a bit taken aback. She had many questions to ask about this new woman, but she didn't want to seem too jealous. "Do you… want to marry her?" she asked questioningly.
"No," Jareth answered promptly. "But she pleasures me."
"Wouldn't you rather marry someone you wanted to? Not just someone for pleasure?"
Jareth shrugged. "We get along, that is all that matters."
"If she died, would you care?" Sarah wondered aloud. She really wanted to ask, if I died would you care? But she knew that it would be irrelevant. He was not to marry her, he had no feelings for her, and she was even beginning to wonder why he brought her here. If he was just to marry someone else, then what was the point in dragging her down here at all?
She stared at Jareth, waiting for an answer. It took him awhile to respond. It appeared to Sarah that he was actually considering his answer; but Sarah was not too surprised by this.
When he finally replied, Sarah got the answer she had expected. "In this land, Fae do not marry for love as you mortals do. Our life will be prosperous. We will make many offspring, our kingdoms will combine, and our fortunes will become greater. That is, after all, what matters most. If she did happen to die one day, which you must remember is very unlikely, then I would feel indifferent about that particular situation."
Suddenly, Sarah felt the urge to laugh. She knew it wasn't polite, or correct in this kind of situation, but when she did begin to laugh, she couldn't control it. Jareth looked at her incredulously, his eyes becoming tiny slits as he glared at her.
"I daresay I don't see what is so funny about all of this," he said through clenched teeth.
Sarah attempted to stifle her laughter, trying to hold it in by closing her mouth. But she couldn't help it, and she once more burst out into laughter. "I…I'm sorry," she managed to say in between giggles. "It's just that… you're marrying a girl who… if you woke up one morning and found her dead… you wouldn't even care!"
"And what is so hilarious about that?" asked Jareth again, failing to see the humor in the situation.
At last, Sarah managed to control her laughter. She sighed as she once again tried to explain herself. "I apologize, Jareth, I really do," she started. "But I just don't see why you would sign the rest of your life away to some girl who you don't even care about."
"It would bring peace to our two kingdoms."
"Are you two at war or something?" Sarah asked as she took a bite of her croissant.
Jareth thought for a moment before he answered. "Not exactly. You see… the royal family of the Middle Kingdom did not produce a son for an heir. Therefore, they have no one to take over the throne. If the king dies, as the queen already has, then the whole kingdom will break out into riots over who should rule. In order to quiet them and prevent this from happening, they needed their only daughter to find a husband. Since we are right next to each other, in a way, they decided, why not? And I agreed so that their problems would not leak into my realm. Plus, I become king of two realms, thus –"
"Giving you more power," Sarah finished dully.
Jareth produced a half smile. "Precisely."
"And… when is the wedding?"
"Three days from now."
Sarah nodded slowly. She didn't know what to say; honestly, she had no clue. The one man who she, as much as she hated to admit, had a few feelings for, was marrying another woman. It's not like I love him, or anything, she thought sourly. But just to know that he belongs to someone else is disheartening. Now I really am alone down here…
She sighed. What was she going to do now? Jareth would probably completely ignore her once he got married, and she would never see him again. She would be kicked out of the castle and probably forced to live in the Bog, in a tiny shack, half filled with some sort of slimy stench. Suddenly, Sarah was beginning to feel deeply depressed. Now she knew that she would never find love, since she could never return to her world, and Jareth, the only human-looking creature, was getting married. It was secured: she would be alone forever. Great. Just peachy.
Sarah lost all of her appetite and she pushed the plate of food away from her. Then she scooted the chair back, rose to her feet, and then turned and walked away from the table, without even saying a word to Jareth, who just sat there, wondering what she was thinking.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o
The king sat in his chair as he watched Sarah get up from her seat and walk away, without so much as a word to him. For a moment, he almost felt bad, pity, even, but he knew that what he was doing could not be helped. This had to be done, no matter if he wanted to or not. These events were already set in motion and no one, not even Sarah, could stop them now.
He sighed as he rubbed his temples. What was he doing? He knew nothing about love, or if it really existed. Was he doing the right thing? Marrying? The princess was his way to true power and she was a pleasant girl, no doubt about it, but did he really want to marry her?
For the Fae, marriage was a very serious thing, and once they said their vows, they could not be broken; there was no way to turn on them. Once married, he could not be unfaithful; even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Yes, he could divorce, he supposed, but then some of his powers would be left with his bride; he would lose an important part of himself that he did not want to part with.
This was turning out to be a very difficult situation indeed.
It was true that he had growing affections towards Sarah, although he would undoubtedly never reveal that to anyone, but she was mortal. In this world, having ties to a mortal could never lead to anything good, if they failed. He would never let himself fall for this mortal girl, and besides, even if he did one day happen to do so, he would be married. Therefore, the girl would be out of the picture… or so he hoped.
Ever since she walked into the underground as a fifteen-year-old girl, he had felt compelled to her. No one in history had ever conquered the Labyrinth, let alone solved it so… productively. This girl was special. That was very clear to him.
Back then, the Labyrinth was an undefeatable place, and its Goblin King just as much so. But then this girl came and everything changed. She made this world topple, and he was fascinated with her for that. The air about Sarah demanded power, but not in the normal, usual way. Her stubbornness and imagination were so great, that she was morphing from the area of regular human behaviors, not seeming to be a mortal at all, even though she was; she was so fascinating! Besides, she had more than just those amusing purposes… she also held a power within her that no one even knew about; not even her.
After she had left the castle in ruins, he attempted to forget all about her. She destroyed his heritage, which was not something you want to be reminded of. And for a while, he was successful and continued on with his daily routines as if Sarah Williams had never existed. But ultimately, he was not successful. He began looking more and more into the mortal's life, and he found that she was indeed special. His fascination with her grew even more, until it became an unhealthy obsession.
Now she was back, just as he had hoped. He had dreamed about the day that she would come into this world, and now that she finally was, perhaps all could go according to plan. That is, if certain people would only cooperate.
A/N: Yeehaw! Another update! Aren't I so cool? Anyway, do not complain about the loss of Jareth's love for Sarah… all is not as it seems… o0
So stay tuned for more excitement! I believe the next chapter, or the next, will reveal some big ol' secrets! But then raise more questions too…
So any questions, comments, concerns? Hit the little button in the corner and tell me all your wildest fantasies… Not really, I do not want to know what your sick little minds want. Lol. But you can hit that little button! Go on… I know you want to!
Love and peace, with a little evil here and there for good fun,
E. Ll