Sarah felt the magic flowing through her veins, and the longer it refreshed her weary mind and body, the more she understood what had to be done. It was not what she wanted to do, but when were the right choices in life the most appealing?
She did not sleep much, simply drifted in and out of troubled sleep that seemed awash with emotions but void of dreams. She felt an irrepressible sense of guilt and fear, everything was full of fear, but behind it all was a thread of hope and love that permeated everything.
Just before dawn, Etan entered her room. Just inside the door, silhouetted against the candle-lit hall, he stared at Sarah wordlessly. She rose from the bed feeling restless but determined.
"Have you made your decision?" he asked in a monotone.
Sarah nodded but said nothing. She was already fully dressed in wide linen slacks and a loose fitting halter, all in white, and belted at the waist with a wide brown leather sash.
"Then let us be gone from here," he led her from the room, his capes swirling in his wake. Sarah hurried to catch up with him and caught his arm. He stopped and looked her in the face. His expression was cold but betrayed a hint of pleasure at her touch. She wrapped her arm around his and buried her face against his shoulder as they continued to walk. She did not cry, but instead tried to focus her energies on her determination.
Just as the sun broke the horizon and spilled light across the dirt ground, they entered the courtyard where Jareth stood chained and fettered on a platform, a guillotine just behind him. When he saw Sarah, he showed no trace of emotion, but raised his head in a gesture of strength and defiance.
All around the courtyard goblins crowded, some jeering and clucking. Sarah saw with a sharp intake of breath that Hoggle stood in great finery alongside another well dressed goblin placed in prominent view of the platform. He did not look up as Sarah and Etan passed, but fingered something attached to his shiny new belt.
Etan led Sarah to a smaller platform adjoining Jareth's and thrust her atop it. She stood before the taunting crowd, her bare arms hanging limply by her sides. Her gaze fell on a smaller table before her, covered in strange iron tools with sharp, menacing points and hooks. The audience fell slowly silent as Etan swaggered before the crowd, glaring at them all.
"We are gathered here today to witness the execution of Jareth, former king of the Goblin Kingdom." A fresh chorus of mindless cheers washed through the crowd and died down as Etan stared at his audience. "And we stand to hear princess Sarah's proclamation. Sarah," he whirled to face her. "Will you stand by Jareth and face your own execution, or will you take my hand in marriage, to live forever as my faerie queen?"
Sarah hesitated, shifting on the spot. "Think carefully, my dear, for it will be the decision of a lifetime," he laughed maniacally, and the goblins slowly joined him. "Come now, is it so difficult? What is your decision?"
Her shoulders squared, Sarah took a step forward. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have survived here in the castle beyond the goblin city," her voice rang out across the courtyard. The faces of the goblins were frozen, wide-eyed. Etan glared at her through veiled expression. "For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great," she continued, force piling behind every syllable. "You have no power over me," she finished, just above a whisper.
For a moment, the resounding silence seemed to pierce every nerve of her body. Then, all at once, it was broken by a slow steady applause. Etan strode toward the platforms laughing mirthlessly and clapping his hands together. "Oh, good show, my faerie princess, but you fail to grasp one tiny detail: I am not Fae."
Sarah faltered, unsure of what he meant. She glanced at Jareth, whose eyes betrayed his fear.
"I am not bound by any magical law. I am not hindered by the restraints of enchantment or lore." He strode to the table with the iron instruments and lifted a spear-like rod, brandishing it lazily. "I am not even weakened by iron," he flung it aside with a laugh. "You have no power over me," he mimicked. The crowd broke into jeers. "I have the power, Sarah, and I have it because I am not magical." Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as she found she had nothing to say. "I was wished away by my hopeless mother. She was a whore, a lowly commoner, servant to the rich and lusty of London in the seventeen-hundreds. And she wished me away to this," he gestured around him. "And left me for whatever fate lay in store for me. Me! Just a pitiful little four-year-old child, neglected and malnourished. But before Jareth could make me his slave, another servant of the populace, I was rescued. You see, at the time a certain sorceress by the name of Evelia leFay sought a son and persuaded Jareth to give me to her as a symbol of peace," he burst out laughing. "And so I was bartered away, a simple token. A mortal. But being amongst the Fae and in this so magical world has preserved me, allowed me to live as any Fae child would, aging slowly and wisely. I gained magic from my sorceress mother and learned all that was required of a true Fae king." Sarah was breathing heavily. "It was so simple to take over the kingdom after you weakened Jareth so considerably, my princess."
Sarah stood shaking slightly as he advanced. Guards surfaced from nowhere and clapped her wrists before her in iron shackles. Jareth made a movement to suggest he tried to lunge at Etan, but was restrained by another set of guards.
"I cannot decide which will be more pleasant, to let Jareth watch as I torture Sarah or the other way around," he looked between the two prisoners with a frightening look of pleasure about his face. He selected a long instrument with a sharp, barbed end, and moved toward Jareth. The guards retreated to the crowd.
"No! Sarah cried out instinctively. Etan, please," she sobbed. "Forgive me and let him go."
Etan whirled around to face her. "No, I don't think so, little one, little Sarah," he stalked up to her and bent his face next to hers. "Did you know that your name means princess?" he whispered . "Shame that you won't really live to your namesake." He raised the barb and Sarah cowered.
There was a swooshing sound but Sarah did not feel the strike. She looked up and saw Etan struggling with Jareth, who had pounced upon his back and wrapped his chain around Etan's throat. Sarah watched helplessly as the two struggled.
"D-Do something!" Etan spluttered at his guards, who watched transfixed. They did not move. Another great fact about goblins was that they enjoyed a spectacle.
Etan finally succeeded in throwing Jareth from his back and he dove for the table of torture devices, snatching up a long knife. Jareth scrambled to his feet, brandishing his chains and steadying himself. "It will be a pleasure to kill you," Etan growled as he lunged forward. Jareth stepped easily to the side and whirled to face him, his foot restraints rattling. Etan took another great lunge and Jareth jumped again to the side, this time tripping and falling hard to his back. A long streak of red grew through the tattered fabric and speckled his filthy shirt. Jareth grimaced and grasped his chest tightly, blood seeping between his pale fingers.
Across the courtyard, Etan righted himself and pounced on his prey, knife extended. He let out a great shout as he dove. Sarah screamed and fell to her knees. Everything moved slowly in her mind's eye, as though through a thick mire.
Just before Etan could land, Jareth braced the long, spear that Etan had cast aside so flippantly. With a sickening thwack, Etan's full weight impaled him on the stake. Jareth grimaced as blood spattered his face. Etan pivoted slowly to the side, landing on his side. His eyes did not leave Jareth's as he coughed red foam.
"I'd say you are just as weakened by iron as anyone else," Jareth said softly. Etan gave a shuddering gasp and then the life fled his eyes.
Sarah leapt from the platform and fell at Etan's side, sobbing. Even as she touched his bloody cheek, she clung to Jareth desperately. Her bizarre love for Etan swelled in a fury of emotion, all the fear and adoration culminating into this one, life-altering experience. And slowly, ever so slowly, something broke from her. Her tears turned from those of lament to those of relief.
Sometime later, she could not sense the time, the goblin guards released the fetters and Jareth and Sarah rose to face the crowd.
All around them the goblins stood cheering. It didn't matter much to them that Etan was dead. Jareth had put on a spectacular show for them. Jareth broke away and knelt next to Etan's lifeless body. He grasped the goblin insignia and yanked it from Etan's neck, replacing it around his own throat. A new chorus of cheers broke out and Jareth returned to Sarah, staggering slightly and clutching his chest with one hand. Blood still seeped from between his fingers, but he smiled at Sarah comfortingly.
Her blazing white garments were now blossomed with blood that had pressed from the front of Jareth's soaked shirt to hers. He took her hand gently, sharing and turned to face the cheering crowd, pulling Sarah alongside him. They stood in the rapture of the pleased audience, the violence left behind them.
For several long moments, the crowd cheered and Sarah found that she was able to smile again. She glanced at Jareth who was smirking happily. She gave a small laugh and he faced her.
"Sarah, I-" he started to speak, but even as he did so she could see that something was wrong. His face was paler than ever she had seen and his eyes slid unfocused. His knees buckled suddenly and he slumped forward onto her.
"Jareth?" Sarah shrieked. The cheers died down and were replaced with anxious whispers. "Jareth? What's wrong?" She helped him to lay down on his back on the dirt floor, his limp hand splayed across his bleeding chest. Sarah covered his hand with hers, supporting his head with her other. His eyes were frighteningly foggy, clouded with some unseen threat. "Jareth, stay with me. I'm here for you," she pleaded under her breath.
He took a slow, shaky breath and convulsed slightly. "Sarah, I- I love you, I-"
"Don't say goodbye to me, Jareth. You will be fine. We'll heal you and you'll be fine," her voice shook with the threat of more tears.
"The iron," he said softly, "magic won't heal the wound."
Sarah moved his hand and ran her finger down the tear in the shirt, somehow slicing it open as it slid down his chest. She pulled back the fabric to reveal a deep gash across the ribs just beneath his heart. She realized with a shock of horror that she could see the white of the bone. And he had lost so much blood.
"Toby," she whispered. "Jareth, I have to take you to my brother. He's a medical student. He'll fix you without magic."
Jareth grimaced and nodded. "Sarah, I love you," he said again, his eyes closed.
"No! Jareth, you have to stay awake. Listen to me, I don't know how to get us back to the Aboveground. You have to transport us there, do you understand? You have to take us to my home. Can you do that?" she grasped his hand and lifted his head a little bit. He nodded again, opening his eyes and looking straight into hers.
He reached with his bloodied hand to grasp hers as tightly as he could. "Think of home," he whispered, and she thought as hard as she could of their evenings by the fire, the sofa, her ruby red walls. Desperately, she fought to summon all the magic she had and envisioned it transferring into Jareth's hand. All at once a bright, gleaming crystal appeared and burst, showering them with glittering shards of dissolving magic. Everything went a blinding white, then the deepest of blacks.