-1Nearly four months passed this way. Every Friday Jareth would arrive at her home around eight, and then they would either go out to some distant location or they would spend a quiet evening at home. As the cold weather picked up, they both found they much preferred Sarah's cozy fireside nest. Occasionally, Jareth changed his meetings to Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons to accommodate his European tour schedule.
What surprised Sarah most was that even with his downs, she was always clinging to his ups. He often infuriated her, but he also made her feel whole. By nature she was a gentle person, usually unflinchingly kind. She rarely had a chance to vent her deepest thoughts, and Jareth never seemed moved at all by her tirades. This infuriated her more, but it was a novel feeling. And she was noticing more and more that he didn't needle her so much.
He was always very thoughtful, taking her to places she remembered and loved or new places that he thought she would enjoy. Just a few weeks ago he'd taken her to Paris to celebrate Valentines Day. It was very romantic, though thankfully sans hearts and frills. She was startled when she realized how much he had come to mean to her. Even with all his imperfections, she had come to have feelings for him that were by and large unprecedented.
That week, the last week in February, Jareth arrived at precisely eight with a large grin and a few bottles of nice wine.
"Finished. I'm off tour."
"I thought you said you enjoyed every bit of being a rock star."
"I had a little too much of that bit. Let's stay in tonight shall we? There's rain heading your way."
"We could go anywhere in the world and you're stopped by a little rain?"
"No, I want to listen to it."
Sarah felt a flush of jittery nerves course through her body. "I love to listen to the rain."
"That makes two of us then. Sit, I've got it," he came around and after some dexterous uncorking and pouring, they each reclined with their glasses. Sarah was sprawled over one end of the sofa, Jareth sat in the chair. He watched their newly sprung-up fire and she watched him.
A time passed like this, and it wasn't until the rain began to pat on the roof and windows that they moved at all.
Jareth still gazed into the fire. "You're staring at me." Sarah thought for a moment. "What are you thinking?"
"Come sit with me."
He looked up, quite surprised, but saw she was quite genuine. He moved over and sat next to her, watching her curiously. She slid over the rest of the distance and wrapped herself into his arms, her back leaning against his chest. He moved his free hand and leaned back a little into a pile of pillows.
They spent a long time just enjoying this simple intimate pose, sipping their wine slowly and feeling the warmth of each other, and of the fire. Jareth tentatively stroked the hair that fell over her shoulder. It felt so wonderful, so relaxing. His fingers made their way to her temple and worked gently along her scalp, then he withdrew as though worried he'd crossed the line.
It struck her quite suddenly. He loves me. That's why he does all this. He would do anything for my attention, even be the King of all Prats just to make me give him one shred of consideration. And what's more, she wasn't afraid. She felt tears on her cheeks, though she felt anything but sad.
"Sarah, you're trembling," Jareth said with some concern.
She wriggled around to face him, setting their glasses aside. She placed one hand behind his neck, the other resting on his chest. He looked surprised, almost fearful.
"Jareth, do you love me?"
He searched her face, confused. "Of course I do. I've always loved you."
She smiled as a mingled sob and laugh pressed through her lips. "I love you too, Jareth. I swear I loved you even before I knew it. I love you." She stopped crying immediately, though tears glistened on her cheeks. "That was the hardest thing I've even done."
"Harder than my Labyrinth?"
"Quite the same, really," she leaned in close, a devilish smile playing across her lips. "I wish that the King of the Goblins would come and take me away… right now," she whispered. Her eyes closed, she pressed in closer.
He drew back stiffly, a terrified look on his face. She understood at once that something was wrong. "Sarah, I'm no longer the Goblin King."
A beat of understanding hit the room in which Sarah and Jareth stared helplessly at one another. Almost instantly, glass shattered. Cold wind and rain buffeted the pair of them. Jareth thrust Sarah behind him as a man grew and appeared from the shards. He was very tall and thin, with long fingers and legs. His black brown hair was short and stood up in all angles, giving him a wild appearance. But, what frightened her most was his mouth. It was thin and frozen in a sneer, and right now it was twisted into maniacal laughter. When he stopped, he looked steadfastly at Sarah with piercing grey eyes. She tried to slip closer to Jareth, but he rose and took a step toward the man.
"How fantastic. How absolutely fantastic!" he laughed again, gesturing toward Jareth. "He wins her and loses her so quickly!" Jareth bristled visibly, his arms tense, legs anchored to the floor with dangerous defiance. "She's wished herself away to the Goblin King, did you hear?" he said mockingly.
"You will leave her be," he growled.
"I will not," he replied, walking slowly to the couch where Sarah sat, curled in shock. She glanced between Jareth and this man hysterically, searching for some answer. "How fantastic. How divine."
"Etan, leave her. You gain nothing from this."
"Not the way I see it. Now look Sarah, he doesn't see your value. Come along and I will show you your own beauty," he smirked and held out his hand.
Jareth stepped between Sarah and Etan. "Leave her." Sarah rose and moved just behind Jareth's right elbow, squaring her shoulders and leveling her chin.
"My, Jareth, but you are brash. Step aside before I am forced to fight you. Fight and win, just as before. You are no match for me." Jareth straightened and glared at him. "You know as well as I know that there is nothing to be done. This creature has wished herself into my hands and so I must take her, as the magic binds me."
"And, you know as well as I know that you can stop it. Leave her now, I will warn you no more."
"But Jareth, I don't want to. So I am afraid that the girl comes with me." He stepped closer, eyes locked on Sarah's.
Jareth raised his hand, a crystal balancing on his fingertips, but Etan was too quick. He flung out his arm and Jareth flew backward over the couch and slammed into the wall. Sarah screamed. Etan walked around the couch and raised his arm. Jareth rose like a puppet from the floor, the crystal rolling away useless. His face was contorted into pure rage. He twitched in violent spasms against the spell, but Etan only laughed.
"You have tried my patience far too many times, old man. I will not tolerate it any longer." His hand balled into a fist and Jareth grimaced in silent pain. Sarah watched helplessly as his struggling grew weaker. It was impossible. Jareth, the unending source of wit and wiles, struggling for his life… and losing.
"No! Stop it!" Sarah leapt out and grabbed Etan's outstretched arm, yanking it as hard as she could. He looked in mild surprise at Sarah, then lowered his arm and unclenched his fist. Jareth collapsed on the ground, rolling onto his back. His jaw was set against the pain.
"Stop. I will go with you, just leave him."
Etan sneered. "I will take you anyway, little princess. You have nothing to bargain." His fist clenched again and Jareth actually gave a strangled cry of fury. Sarah felt her own body going numb with fear. No.
She did the only thing she could think of and stepped around in front of him, but Jareth still cringed against the wall. She snaked an arm around Etan's waist and stepped closer, distracting him. He looked down at her, still sneering. He had one eyebrow raised as though to challenge her. She pressed her body against his in desperate attempt to seduce him away from Jareth's destruction. "But he means so little," she crooned quietly in his ear. "Please, let's just go, quickly," she purred.
He froze for a moment and Sarah feared that her attempt was in vain, but then he wrapped an arm forcibly about her waist and turned her around to face Jareth. "See? The little princess already forgets you. At any rate, you will suffer more with this knowledge than any death conceivable."
He whirled around, dragging Sarah with him. She cast a quick look over her shoulder, throwing Jareth one pleading glance, hoping that it would say at least a fraction of the affection she felt for him at that moment.