A Dreamer's Heart ~ Chapter Five
Jareth had done as promised and rested peacefully in Sarah's absence, while magically bringing several of her books to his side for reading. He had soon discovered a repetitious pattern in the 'novels', and had found great insight within the pages of her fantasies, giving him greater perspective of what she expected of him, and what she deemed a 'dream come true'.
Apparently, after becoming wounded, he had unwittingly followed her scripts almost to the letter by refusing to rest and being obstinate to gain his own feet, hurting himself further. This enabled Sarah to coddle him in a seemingly reluctant manner while giving her the opportunity to be close to him at all times, which according to the novels, is exactly where she wanted to be. He glanced over towards the chair that she had insisted on moving into her bedroom… to 'keep an eye on him' she had stated. He grinned with satisfaction while contemplating how to progress to the next step, getting her to come closer yet.
"Dink," he called in an even tone. The goblin appeared by the side of the bed instantly. "Would you consider me untouchable?"
"I not touch King!" Dink replied defensively, fearfully taking a step backwards.
Jareth regarded his subject thoughtfully. "Of course not," he stated pleasantly, then waved his hand nonchalantly. "Leave me." The goblin disappeared with a sigh of relief. Jareth frowned as he settled back to the pillows on the bed. He knew he was formidable, at best, but he could also be fun. He liked to dance and sing, he was known for being a prankster, and loved practical jokes. He wasn't always so stoic and fearsome… or was he?
He'd often summon the Fiery's into the castle to stir things up when it got too boring, or would let a hundred fairies loose in the city to give the goblins a buzz as they scattered to try and catch the things. But, perhaps he was more formidable than he had thought, so much so that she actually feared to get too close to him. 'Which is why she prefers being near me when I'm unconscious, or too weak to even stand,' he surmised to himself thin lipped.
He magically brought another novel to his hands, skimming the pages with immortal quickness. With a sigh, he placed the finished book on his lap, closing his eyes with contemplation. He didn't deem himself all that different from the men in these stories. They were formidable, feared, usually of high status socially, and risked everything to keep the women they fell in love with. Things he had already done.
'But did she understand that at such a young age?' he mused internally. 'No, I don't think she did.' He opened his eyes, lifting the book from his lap to stare at the front cover while letting all the information he had read flow through his mind. The men in these novels, books that Sarah submerged herself into, never gave their women a chance for escape. They held onto their power over them with steel reserve, something he had mistakenly given up. He lost his power over her by allowing her to speak her words. But, none the less, he was being given a second chance, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
Magically putting the book back upon its shelf in the den, he rolled to his side while in deep thought, then smirked with satisfaction as he formulated a plan in his mind. A plan that, ironically, was right out of a book, or several of them as a matter of fact.
"Goblins!" Sarah's voice filtered through her home with a commanding tone. Dink was instantly standing before her. "Help me carry the groceries in from my jeep," she dictated, walking past him to the kitchen laden with three bags of food.
"Groceries?" Dink asked, turning to follow her with his eyes. "What is groceries?"
"It's food, Dink," she explained patiently from over her shoulder. "All the stuff in the jeep that I just bought."
"Okay, Lady!" he agreed readily with understanding, and magically disappeared.
Within a minute the four goblins began magically popping in and out of the kitchen, each carrying an item from the bags in her jeep. They placed them upon the table or the counter before disappearing again. Sarah glanced over her shoulder as she placed perishables in the fridge to notice that they brought one thing at a time inside instead of the entire bags. Shrugging, she let them do their task their way. As long as everything was brought inside, she didn't care how they did it.
Busying herself with the frozen foods, it took a minute for Sarah to realize that her spare tire from the back of the jeep was sitting on the floor off to one side. "Dink!" The goblin popped up in front of her holding a floor mat to look at her questioningly. Crumb and Stink popped in holding a crow bar and her tire jack. "Oh, no," she uttered under breath. "Those things stay in the jeep," she explained calmly. "I only want the things that were inside the bags."
"Ohhh," they voiced as one with understanding just as Zip popped in with the jeep's battery in his little hands.
"I got it!" he beamed proudly, grunting under the weight of it.
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose with exasperation. "Put it back," she stated, reigning in her temper. After all, they didn't know that she had only wanted the groceries. "Put everything that was not in a bag back exactly how you found it."
The goblins looked at each other in confusion, shrugged, then disappeared. They returned several times to remove the vehicle's tools and accessories from the kitchen while Sarah continued to put the food away. After clearing the table and countertop, she walked out to her jeep to make sure all the food had been brought in, and to make sure that the goblins had put it back together correctly. It had started right up when she turned the key in the ignition. Smiling with satisfaction, she turned it off again, and headed back into the house.
"Leave," she commanded the goblins a few minutes later as she strode into her bedroom. "There's food on the table for you to eat." They disappeared without complaint.
She frowned slightly when her eyes fell upon Jareth. He seemed slightly paler than she remembered him being when she had left for the store. "What were you doing while I was gone?" she asked as nonchalantly as possible, placing the plate with two slices of still warm pizza on the chest at the foot of her bed.
Jareth detected the caution in her tone when she questioned him, and smirked inwardly as he delicately shifted himself into a sitting position. "I was resting," he replied easily. "Just as I promised."
She couldn't stop her eyes from roving appreciatively over his bare chest, down his midriff, to end her perusal at his hips where the border of the sheet rested. Tearing her gaze away she picked up the plate and handed it to him.
"Sorry it's not hot anymore, but I had to get the food put away first." She mumbled before scurrying away from him. "Then, your goblins tried to dismantle my jeep."
"It's heated enough," Jareth commented, picking up a slice. He could sense the heated energy she emanated as she busied herself with mundane things around her room, sneaking covert glances in his direction to stare at the sheet that rested precariously over his hips. "You're not going to join me?"
"Join you?" she questioned too quickly, her brows arched high on her forehead as she stopped to stare at him directly.
"To eat," he elaborated, lifting the slice in his hand slightly higher as emphasis before taking another bite from it. The edge of the sheet was like a magnet to her eyes, drawing her apt attention as he leaned slightly forward to bite into the slice without dripping anything on himself. Having a mouthful of pizza, Jareth returned his focus to Sarah, chewing thoughtfully as he watched her eyes darken while she stared at him. "Is something wrong?" he asked lightly after swallowing.
Her eyes glided from his stomach, up his chest, and met his gaze directly. "No," she answered uncomfortably, turning away from him. "I have some things I need to do, then I'll be able to sit with you for a while."
"Take your time," he called after her as she nearly bolted from the room. A satisfied grin played upon his lips before taking another bite of his pizza. 'And she didn't even ask where my clothes were,' he thought, feeling pleased with himself. 'Just as it was written in her books.'
XxXxX
Returning to the kitchen, Sarah found the goblins playing a game of scrabble, having found the board game in a closet. Curious, she leaned over the table between Dink and Crumb to see that none of their 'words' made sense, just letters randomly put on the board to look like words. Humoring them, she gave Dink a fond pat on the back, and busied herself at the counter.
She didn't see the reverent grin the goblin bestowed in her direction as she collected a few small bowls from the cabinet, and the half gallon container of ice cream from the freezer. Spooning some into each bowl, she freely let her mind wander. She was really confused as far as Jareth was concerned, and felt as though she should try to avoid him to clear her head, and get her emotions back in check. But, every time she attempted to give herself a few hours away from him,, he went and did something rash that required her to be right by his side again.
And as soon as she got close to him all she wanted to do was get closer. It felt so right to be near him, to watch how his eyes subtly changed hues whenever he looked at her, the constant thrill that ran up her spine at the sound of his voice. And when he was being authoritive… well, that was simply her undoing. She couldn't even pretend indifference when he used that particular tone of voice, it simply consumed her entire being with heated intensity.
But, he wasn't here to stay, he would leave soon, and he made no notion whatsoever that he wanted to take her back with him. She felt that age old stab of loneliness at the thought of him leaving, but that was how it had to be. She could at least be friendly towards him, and enjoy his company in the short amount of time she had left with him. Shrugging off the depressing thoughts, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin.
"Here," she stated to the goblins, placing two bowls on the table, each in front of a goblin. "This, is ice cream," she defined pointedly, then turned to the counter to get the other two bowls, and some spoons. "I'll be in my room with King. Enjoy your ice cream, and try to behave," she requested in a mild, pleading tone. "Oh, and there's cookies on the counter if you want some."
"Okay," Dink answered, watching Lady leave the kitchen with her hands full to take to her room. Sarah never noticed the melancholy that had settled over of the goblins while she was in her own thoughts.
Making her way back to her room with two bowls of ice cream, and a chess game, she handed Jareth his ice cream before setting up a folding table at the side of the bed. She lugged her recliner chair closer to the bed while Jareth set up the game for them to play. Seating herself in her chair, Sarah wolfed down her iced cream as Jareth proceeded to beat her at chess within five moves.
"Your goblins are actually behaving themselves for once," she commented, her voice hinting of fondness for the little creatures, while mentally blaming her lose on the distraction of his bared skin. "They're in the kitchen pretending to play scrabble."
"They love playing scrabble," Jareth remarked, looking up at her as she reset the board. "Why would you say they pretend to play?"
"Because they can't spell," she laughed warmly. "They're just taking turns putting random letters on the board."
"Perhaps they're using goblin words," Jareth remarked, moving his first piece as winner of the last game.
"Goblin words?" she quipped curiously.
"Yes, goblin words," he reiterated in a relaxed voice. "You never found it strange that every creature in my kingdom spoke your language?"
"No, that never occurred to me," she admitted, suddenly feeling insignificant for something that had happened so long ago. "I just thought… actually, I never thought about that at all."
"Took it for granted, did you?" he asked with a smirk and a chuckle.
"Obviously, if I'm sitting here admitting that I never thought about it," she replied curtly.
He smirked self righteously. "It's your move."
"Why bother," she stated disgruntled, leaning her back against the cushion of her chair, glaring at the chess board. "You're only going to kick my ass again anyway."
"Then forfeit," he dictated, his eyes gleaming with challenge. He found it amusing how she covered her embarrassment with ire. How she became flustered and stubborn at the same time.
"Now, you know I can't do that," she stated indignantly, leaning forward once more. "This game ain't over until I'm completely cornered with no more options."
"A fight to the bitter end," he remarked, smiling with anticipation. "Make your move, Sarah."
The game was over three moves later when Jareth made checkmate. He watched her with amusement as she refused to believe that she had lost so quickly, and checked every piece on the board for some possible way out of her predicament.
"You're not going to find another move," he taunted with a chuckle. "You've lost."
She glared at him with disgruntlement. "A real gentleman would have let me win," she proposed, crossing her arms indignantly.
"I am not a gentleman," he countered, still amused. "I am a king, and I lose to no one." He realized his blunder as soon as the words left his lips, and her eyes hardened with conviction. "Don't say it!" he proclaimed quickly, pointing at her physically. "I said it in jest," he added more casually, lowering his hand. "Why must every discussion with you become a conflict?"
"Because you wouldn't accept anything less," she smirked at him good humouredly. "You expect me to defy you at every turn and argue any point you may have. It just seems fitting to live up to your expectations, your Majesty."
He regarded her thoughtfully, a playful expression still etched upon his elegant features. "I have a feeling that you enjoy living up to my expectations, perhaps just a little too much."
"Perhaps I do," she replied, smiling slyly at him as she began to reset the chess board. "Would you care to show me how to play this damn game with at least a fighting chance of beating you?"
He smiled fully, shifting more comfortably against the pillows. "Perhaps, though just enough to give you a fair chance," he answered amicably.
"A 'fair' chance?" she questioned, her brows rising high over her eyes. Jareth's expression slowly became guarded, impassive, as she regarded him skeptically. Then she smiled, her eyes shining with amusement. "You're on, Goblin King," she announced in a pleasant tone. "I'll take whatever fair chances I can get out of you."
He relaxed visibly, though she hadn't seemed to notice his tension in the first place. She was becoming more at ease around him, seemingly unaware of her effect on him at any given moment. He briefly wondered how she was able to ignore his temperament so adeptly when one of the gifts he had given her was to make her aware of exactly that.
From the moment he'd become aware of her, so many years ago, he had wanted her to sense within him what he couldn't covey openly. This gift also enabled him, and his subjects, to sense her most dominant emotions as well. It was a bond between her and his kingdom to a degree. Disregarding her ignorance towards her gifts at the moment, he returned her pleasant smile and helped to reset the chess board.
XxXxX
"Eh-hem." The sound of someone clearing their throat came from the doorway.
"What is it, Dink?" Both Sarah and Jareth asked simultaneously, not looking up from the chess board until they both spoke at the same time, and then it was to look at each other.
"Dink get hurt," he stated remorsefully from the doorway.
Sarah glanced over her shoulder to look at the goblin, the question, 'what happened?' on the tip of her tongue until she saw him holding his right hand swathed in a kitchen towel covered in goblin blood. "Oh my god, Dink!" she exclaimed, jumping from the chair to drop to her knees in front of the hurt creature. "What happened? What did you do? Is all this ick your blood?" she questioned in quick succession.
"Dink not know what happen. I drop cookie down drain and put hand in to get it. It make growling noises and bit me!"
"Oh my god," she fretted once more, holding the swathing wrapped hand between both of hers as she turned fearful eyes toward Jareth. "The garbage disposal," she stated, paling dramatically. "I didn't think… oh no, Jareth… he stuck his hand in the…" She couldn't even finish her statement she was so distraught. 'What if he lost a finger? What if his whole hand was missing?' She felt faint. Very, very faint.
Jareth slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, seemingly nonplussed about the whole situation. "Come, Dink, let me see what you've done to yourself," he commanded in a pleasant tone.
The goblin stepped around Sarah and lumbered over to his king, holding his swathed hand up in the air for the king to see.
"Well," Jareth breathed unsurprised. "That is definitely goblin blood, and a lot of it." He spared a brief glance towards Sarah at the choked sound that escaped her throat. She looked on with wide, horrified eyes, covering her mouth with her hand as she remained kneeling on the floor with her body half twisted to watch in dreadful anticipation of what Jareth might find.
Jareth peeled back the layers of the wrapped towel until he found the tiny hand within, then frowned. "Held onto your cookie, I see." Dink nodded, watching his king's face for his angry expression. "How many fingers did you have, Dink?" he asked casually. "Three or four?"
"Dink have four fingers," he answered in a small voice.
"Ah. I'll have to fix that, then."
"Please tell me you're kidding," Sarah begged from across the room feeling as though she were going to faint. It was her fault. The poor little goblin lost his fingers because of her carelessness. She should have thought to disconnect the garbage disposal knowing that the goblins were like children and might stick their hands down the hole.
"No, actually I'm not," Jareth announced evenly, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "Why so concerned, Sarah? It's nothing a little magic can't fix."
He put his focus to the goblin's hand once more, placing his elegant fingered hand over the mangled one, then closed his eyes. Sarah watched with rapt attention, not even sure when she had gotten to her feet, and walked closer as a small glow of green light surrounded their hands. Jareth opened his eyes and took a deep waking breath, taking hold of Dinks wrist to inspect his handy work. "There, all fixed."
Dink smiled broadly, wiggling his fingers in Jareth's face to show that all four of them worked just fine. "Thank you, King!" he praised before lumbering out of the room, waving his hand towards Sarah as he left.
"That's why you're not getting stronger," Sarah concluded, stepping closer to the bed as Jareth laid back to the pillows, obviously exhausted from healing Dink's hand. "You've been healing them when they get hurt, and cleaning up after them behind my back," she added as the kitchen towel was suddenly clean and ready to use again.
"Yes, well," he voiced nonchalantly in a strained voice. "I can't let them lose limbs and upset our very gracious hostess, now can I?"
"No," she agreed, stressing her voice. "But, you could have told me they were getting hurt like this. I can child proof the house, you know, make it safer for them." She put her hand on her hips to stare down at him incredulously. "And you told me that you weren't using your magic!"
He diverted his gaze to stare unseeingly at the wall with downcast eyes. "I didn't want you to become upset with them, and send them home." He turned his face to meet her eyes. "It would simply break their little hearts to be away from me."
Sarah's arms fell slack against her sides, as did the expression on her face. "Do you think I'd be that mean to make them stay away from you just to keep a clean house?"
"The thought had occurred me, yes." He took a labored breath, his lids growing heavy over his eyes.
She sat numbly on the edge of the bed next to his legs, staring blankly at the floor. "I've really become something horrible, haven't I?" she asked, more so rhetorically on her own behalf since Jareth was slipping into a light slumber. She glanced over at him when he hadn't responded, and found him breathing easy with his eyes closed.
She fixed the sheet to cover him better, raising it higher over his waist. Then, stretching out her arm she scooped a lock of his long hair from the pillow, allowing it to slowly slip through her fingers before letting it rest over his shoulder. Her eyes roved over his chest, outlining his sculpted muscles appreciatively.
"Jareth?" she whispered softly, wondering if he truly was asleep or just resting as she'd found out he often does. He gave no response whatsoever. Lowering her hand to the center of his chest, she frowned slightly, being reminded that she had removed his medallion, and he hadn't asked about it upon his awakening.
Keeping her feet rooted in place, she bent over to the night stand next to the bed, and took his pendant from the drawer before reseating herself. She looked it over intently, with more than a little curiosity. 'Why wouldn't he ask about this?'
Glancing over at him once more, she took hold of his right hand and placed the medallion in his palm, folding his fingers over it before resting it upon his stomach. "That way you'll have it when you wake up again," she stated in a soft, whispered voice. With one last caress to his face, she stood up and moved the table with the game on it out of the way, then scooted her chair back to where it had been earlier. With one last glance in his direction, she flicked off the light and headed towards the den to sleep on the couch.
Jareth cracked his eyes open into slits after she had turned off the light and walked down the hallway, raising his hand in the air a few inches to gaze upon his medallion. He had hoped that she wouldn't remember the artifact quite so soon. he wanted to waste as much time as he possible catering to her desire for him to remain in a weakened state. His medallion, however, would see to it that his magic would be fully restored within a very short time, by morning if he held it throughout the night.
Rolling to his side, he opened the drawer of the nightstand and placed it back inside. Resettling himself on the mattress, he folded his hands behind his head while contemplating how he could get Sarah to remain in the room with him during the night. Her fondness of touching him while his eyes were closed had seemingly becoming addictive, and he looked forward to her touch as sure as she took advantage of every opportunity she thought she could get away with.
But, Jareth knew that things would change very quickly now that she thought he was exhausting his magic by healing and cleaning up after his goblins. 'Cleaning after my goblins,' he thought with dismay. 'She has got to be daft.' He breathed deeply, thinking back upon her novels to a possible solution to his dilemma. 'Fever was always a good excuse to keep the female close at hand,' he mulled in his mind. 'However, I don't possess a fever.' Then a thought came to him, and he smiled wickedly in the dark. 'But I could develop one very easily.'
"Dink," he summoned barely audibly, knowing the goblin was magically by his side instantly. "Return home and bring me a piece of fairy leaf, a very small piece," he dictated.
The goblin gasped in horrified shock at the command. "Why King want to poison Lady?"
"It's not for the lady, now go." Within the span of three even breaths Dink returned to his king's side holding a small twig of fairy leaf. "When she asks you what has happened to me," Jareth explained, taking the leaf from his subject. "You tell her you don't know."
"Yes, King," Dink replied in an obedient tone.
XxXxX
Sarah awoke the next morning, rolling from the couch to stretch and try to get her stiff muscles back in alignment before sleepily shuffling her feet into the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, she stared at the somber goblins that sat quietly around the table like children attending detention. "What happened?" she asked, her defenses instantly on guard.
"King not look so good." Dink answered, the others looking up at her gloomily.
Sarah was out of the room and down the hallway as fast as her feet could carry her. Reaching her bedroom, she had to grab the door frame to stop herself from barging in at a full run. "What happened?" she asked, seeing a sheen of perspiration on his chest, arms, and face as she walked closer to the bed. He met her with eyes so pale that they were almost colorless.
"I'm not sure," he told her. "I trust you placed my medallion in my hand?" She nodded, noticing that it was not within sight. "I'm not strong enough to wear it, Sarah. I believe it had an adverse effect on me during the night."
"Oh no," she voiced, feeling horrible and guilty for hurting him when all she had intended was to help. "I'm sorry, I thought it would help you heal faster."
'You have no idea how right you are,' he thought before answering aloud. "It normally would, but I'm not in my own kingdom. There's no magic here for it to draw upon, so it took the magic from me instead."
"Oh no," she whispered faintly, moving close to the side of the bed. Placing her hand over his forehead, she gasped at how hot he felt. "Oh my god, you're burning up. What am I supposed to do? Can you have aspirin? How about onions? Or I could…"
"Sarah," he interrupted her panicked spiel. "It will pass in a short time." He paused then continued with a mischievous grin. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you wanted me to remain at your mercy in a weakened state."
"That's not funny, Jareth," she chastised in a worried voice. "I would never purposely hurt you just to keep you with me."
"Then, you admit to wanting me to remain with you," he taunted in a conniving tone.
"That's not what I meant," she replied flustered, shaking her head at being tricked to admitting such a thing. "What do you use in your world for fevers?"
"Magic," he stated simply with a shrug.
"Dink!" The little goblin appeared by her side, already looking somewhat nervous, wringing his hands before him. "Use your magic to heal the King," she commanded him in an authoritive tone. "Call as many goblins as you need to be strong enough."
Dink backed away from the bed, fretting with his fingers in front of him, even more so at the incredulous expression on his king's face at the idea. "Dink don't know how to heal King," he mumbled in a humbled voice, bowing his head low.
"Then get someone who can!" she spat at the poor creature who began to physically tremble with fear.
"Sarah," Jareth called softly. "I'm the highest power in the labyrinth, none of my subjects are capable of using magic for or against me directly. They simply aren't powerful enough." He met Dink's fearful gaze. "Be gone."
Dink vanished before Sarah could even turn her head to say anything to him. Placing her hands on her hips she directed her worried ire towards the king himself. "They have to be strong enough in greater numbers," she argued. "What do you do when you are sick or wounded?"
"I am immune to illness," he replied, closing his eyes with weariness. He hadn't considered her adamancy to have him healed magically. With a long deep breath he opened his eyes to look up at her. "I need some water, my Lady."
"Water," she repeated dumbly. "Oh damn, of course. I'll be right back."
Jareth didn't feel as pleased with himself as he had anticipated for causing her upset. She was absolutely frantic on his behalf. The fear and panic he aw inher eyes sent a stab of guilt through his heart like he'd never experienced before. Reaching beneath his rear he pulled out the tiny leaf to stare at it thoughtfully. She would find out, eventually, and when she did, she would be furious as all hell. 'It would be my fate that she'd find out after developing some power of her own.' Knowing that wouldn't bode well on his behalf at all, he made a decision just as she came into sight.
She returned breathless with a tall glass of clear chilled water, and sat beside him on the edge of the mattress. She held the glass out for him only to draw it back when he raised a hand with a small green leaf held between his fingers.
"What's that?" she asked, taking it when he extended his hand out to her.
"It's fairy leaf," he answered, dropping his hand once she had hold of the plant. "It's poisonous, though more so towards me." Sarah met his gaze with startled, fearful eyes, then looked back at the tiny thing between her fingers again. "Worry not, it won't harm you in its current state."
"Where did it come from? Why do you have it? How poisonous is it?" she bombarded him with questions in quick secession, then leveled her gaze upon him somberly. "What have you done?"
He diverted his gaze briefly, feeling horrible for trying to deceive her in such a manner after all she had done to spare him his life. "It grows wild in my kingdom," he answered somberly. "It's only poisonous to you if you ingest it. To me, however, all I have to do is touch it. It will cause a fever within my body for a small amount of time until my magic rids it's effect from my body." He lifted his eyes, as well as his chin, with arrogance as he looked at her. "It was my attempt to have you remain close to me."
She stared at him for the longest time as his words processed through her mind, then stared down at the tiny leaf in her hand. "You poisoned yourself," she stated with uncertainty. "To make me stay close to you."
"Yes. I simply miscalculated your unwavering stubbornness to have your own way."
"Are you insane?!" she yelled at the top of her voice unexpectedly, jumping to her feet while waving the plant in front of his face near his nose. "This is 'poison', Jareth! 'Poison!'"
"Yes, I've already stated that much," he replied in a calm though slightly surprised tone.
With a guttural growl of frustration in her throat, she threw the tiny leaf at him, slammed the glass down on the end table, then stormed from the room.
"Well, that didn't quite go as I had planned," he remarked softly to himself, flicking the offensive plant to the floor with a finger.
XxXxX
"You're goblins are having some sort of rebellion," Sarah informed Jareth a short while later, leaning in the doorway to her room with her arms folded in front of her. "and locked themselves in my bathroom."
"They're only trying to help," he replied in a deep, relaxed voice.
He lay on his back with his arm covering his face to block out the bright ceiling light while he contemplated at how they constantly battled wits with each other. He was certain that she favored being close to him, though every attempt he'd made so far to keep her near she balked and hurried out of the room. Yet she would be right by his side at the first sign of something being wrong.
"Help how? I need to use my bathroom!"
"They know I want you to remain in my company, and are simply trying to force you to come to me for help." He lifted his arm, opened his eyes, and tilted his head over and back to glance half upside down at her. "They actually do think highly of you, you realize, or they would behave much more destructively."
"Of course they think highly of me," she quipped disgruntled. "They have a king who sends them to the bog whenever you're upset with them. Whereas, I just yell at them a lot."
A grin started to form on his lips at the memory of her and Hoggle falling into the bog of eternal stench, just because she had…. 'kissed another,' his mind finished thinking. His grin faded as a surge of jealousy shot through his veins like liquid fire. Even after all these years the image of her bestowing that scab with affection still greatly agitated him.
"What was that?" she asked cautiously, slowly pushing from the door jam to step further in the room, and face him fully. "I just felt a rush of heat flash through my entire body, and it wasn't from me." The heated feeling she felt was alien to her, though she knew it came from Jareth, she wasn't sure of what it meant.
'Oh dear,' he thought, realizing that she had sensed his wayward emotion. "That," he answered nonchalantly. "Would be you using a gift you claim not to have."
"But, what was it?" she asked again, stepping closer. "What did you do?"
"Surely you know," he prompted, watching her closely. She shook her head in confusion. "I remembered an unpleasant moment from my past," he informed her casually. "From 'our' past, actually, that I still find unsettling."
"I've never felt anything like that before," she admitted, looking at him curiously.
"Really?" he questioned, sitting up further in the bed, unable to believe she had never experienced jealousy before. "Never?" But, the proof was clearly written in her expression, in the way her eyes searched his for answers. He laid back upon the pillows, watching her with contemplation. He was beginning to understand how she was able to deny her gifts thus far, she simply assumed the emotions she felt from others were her own. 'No wonder she was a bramble of emotions at any given time,' he thought with more clarity.
"No, never," she answered with contemplative confusion. "What where you thinking about? Was that…" she paused, dropping her gaze to somewhere below eye contact. "Is that what you felt when I reached the castle?"
"No, I felt this emotion on your behalf long before you ever reached the castle." He rested his head back comfortably and closed his eyes again. "I'm exhausted, Sarah, let me rest."
She stared at him in confusion for the longest time, trying to gauge what he could have possibly thought of to make him feel such an emotion. The liquid heat that had coursed momentarily through her entire being had been possessive, all consuming, and with no recourse. It quite literally had taken her breath away.
She took a step back from the bed, keeping her gaze upon him as she made her way to the doorway. She'd never felt such a strong emotion, and he had experienced it on her behalf. "What did you think of, Jareth?" she asked in a quiet voice. She had to know what feeling would cause something like that towards her. "What do you feel towards me that is so strong?"
He heard the uncertainty in her voice, noticed how she stepped back from him with uneasy steps. Of course she would be afraid if she'd never felt jealousy before. But, should he tell her the truth, was the foremost question in his mind. To admit that he was still jealous at the thought of her showing affection to anyone but himself would surely have him out on the doorstep as fast as she could drag him there herself. On the other hand, if he were truthful, perhaps it would draw her closer, fill that void of loneliness he constantly felt within her. Let her know how much he wanted her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her trembling voice conveying how upset she'd become during his thoughtful silence. "I didn't realize that you hated me so much." She had concluded in her own mind. Rage, or hatred, were the only emotions she thought of that would be that strong, that heated, and all consuming.
With swift accuracy Jareth threw back the blanket and rose from the bed, magically covering his nakedness with one of his shirts and a pair of his breeches as he gained his feet. "You are the most exasperating female I've ever met, Sarah," he declared in a strong, firm voice as he stepped towards her. His eyes held hers with a mystical light that was natural to him.
"You exhaust me as much now as you have ever done," he stated in the same tone. "You want me to remain weak so you feel safe to be near me, and I've done that… for you. It pleases you to gaze upon me, so I have disregarded wearing any clothing. Your insatiable desire to touch me had me purposely poison myself, twice, for your convenience. And after all my sacrifices, you think I hate you."
"How are you standing?" she asked stupefied, stepping back from him as he advanced upon her. Everything he was telling her just slipped to some corner of her mind for the moment, choosing to focus on the impertinently obvious. "I thought you were…" her mind searched frantically for answers as he drew closer, his pace forward quicker than her retreating steps. Then, she noticed his medallion around his neck, hanging valiantly from its chain to rest where it seemed to belong at his chest. "This whole thing was a fake," she wrongly surmised. "You were never hurt, were you?" she asked meeting his steady gaze, her heart feeling like it was being torn to shreds for being fooled so completely.
Her mind became hazy, a numbness settled over her at the thought that he'd been toying with her this entire time. All the sympathy she felt for him, the fantasies he'd instigated, all the touching he encouraged, the kind words he'd spoken, was all just an elaborate trick to gain control over her once more.
He felt her confusion, her humiliation, her despair of being mislead. "Oh, I assure you that the condition you found me in, was completely real, and dire." He reiterated in a patient tone. "I've never been as wounded as that in my entire existence." He stopped to stand within arms reach of her.
"Why won't you love me?" he asked pleadingly. "I feel it within you, I hear your tears as you lie asleep. I can give you everything you desire and more than you could dream of."
"It's not real, Jareth," she answered, shaking her head with tears threatening to spill over. "What you think I feel for you is only a fantasy. A fantasy born in the mind of a little girl who dreamed of castles and a king with magic, who loved me as though I were someone special." He tears spilled of their own accord. "I'm nothing special, Jareth. I can't have my dreams when they're not real."
He stood to his full height, an impassive expression settled on his face, his shoulders squared indignantly. ""I assure you, my Lady," he stated suavely, stepping closer. "That not only are your feelings real, but I am as well."
"That's not what I meant, I…" A surprised gasp escaped her as he took her up in his arms without warning. He pulled her against his chest, her hands went instinctively to his shoulders, while he dipped his head down to hers to claim her mouth with his lips.
She protested mutely from the shock of his actions, her fingers splaying wide over his shoulders, her body rigid and unresponsive. He moved his lips seductively over hers, his tongue teasing and taunting for her to respond while a hand slipped up her back to the back of her head to bury in her long hair.
Sarah's eyes slipped closed, her second protest sounding more like a moan of consent than an argument. Jareth shifted his stance to draw her in closer, she opened her mouth under his gentle persuasion, while he deepened his kiss. He felt her body tremble slightly, as though with a chill, as her arms snaked around his neck and shoulders.
He broke his claim over her mouth, pulling his head back slightly to draw a breath, his mouth opened to say something when she grabbed both sides of his head and pulled him back to meet her lips again. She fully pressed herself up against him, slipping her fingers into his hair while her tongue sought his to finish what he'd started.
He entire being came alive at the feel of him against her, his hands at her back, her neck, her hair as she consumed the very scent of him with her senses, the taste of him with deep urgent kisses. She missed this kind of attention from another so badly, but this was different, he woke a desire within her that was ruled with complete abandon. She couldn't' touch him enough as her hands roved over him sporadically.
Lifting a knee, she wrapped a leg around him, sighing deeply when he held her tightly against his body with a hand on her rump. Needing air, she threw her head backwards, gasping a the feel of his teeth, his lips, and tongue at her throat and neck. She clung to him by the shoulders, her mind a complete blank except for what she was feeling, what he was making her feel. 'It's magic,' her mind told her. "I don't care," she whispered in a breathless reply.
Her comment gave him a minute pause, pulling back to heatedly gaze down upon her flushed face. the feelings he was sensing from her matched his own, the wanting, the desire that demanded to be sated. But her comment gave him pause none the less. If she had any doubt, no matter how small, he must respect it. For once he took her to him completely, he would never let her go, whether she felt the same or not.
"Sarah," he breathed, pulling his head up and back, his hands taking hold of her wrists to free himself of her dire hold of him. "What don' t you care about?" She stared blankly up at him, her mind obviously not working through the haze of her arousal. Her eyes were darker than he'd ever seen them before, her skin flushed with desire, her breaths coming out as short pants.
She pulled her hands free from his loose grasp only to reach out for him again. "I want this," she breathed in a rush, slipping one hand behind his neck, her other around his waist and up his back. she tried to return her lips to his only for him to tilt his head back and slightly to the side. Undeterred, she began to kiss and gently bite at his neck instead.
"Sarah," he attempted to gain her attention again, though let her continue her gentle assault to his neck. "Stop, think for a moment."
"No," she replied, taking his earlobe between her teeth seductively. "I want this," she stated decidedly, switching to the other side of his neck, brushing herself across his body as she shifted. "I want your hands on me," she told him between kissed along his neck. "I want your lips, I want… magic."
He couldn't deny her, or himself, any longer and dipped his head low to her shoulder to return the attention to her neck as well. She gasped and breathed heavily, her head fell backwards, completely giving in to the pleasures he provoked. "Yes," she breathed sultrily, reveling in the feel of his lips upon her skin.
He refused to hold back any longer and gathered her up in his arms to carry her to the bed. Once upon the mattress, he positioned himself over her, relieving both of them of their clothing with his magic. His lips no sooner returned to her neck when her hands caressed down the length of his back, her knees bent to enclose him within her passionate embrace.
There was no turning back from this point for either of them as he moved over her, then settled back down, her hands and body guided him to where she wanted him. Jareth's eyes slipped closed with the feeling of euphoria. It had been too long since he'd shared intimacies with another. Her soft warmth enveloped him not just physically, but surrounded his entire being with the promise of rapture.
She whispered his name, her lips and tongue moving along his jaw until he bent his head to face her. Their lips met with a tenderness that was surprising considering the heated intensity of their desires. Languidly their lips sought and explored, their tongues dueled and tasted, licking and nipping sensitive skin with gentle teeth.
He lifted her lower half as he quickened his rhythm, her arms held him close by his shoulders. Neither of them spoke, neither of them even thought to speak, but rode the waves of desire until ecstasy blinded them of everything except fulfillment.
XxXxX
Four little goblins sat in a circle in the middle of the bathroom floor with glassy eyes and goofy grins on their faces.
"See, I tell you Lady like touchy-touchy with King," Dink stated.
"King like touchy-touchy with Lady, too," Crumb returned with a dumb, lopsided smile.
"I like dizzy feeling," Zip murmured, swaying slightly where he sat, sharing the same expression as Crumb.
"I like ice cream more," Stink announced. "Let's go home and get some."
"Ice cream definitely better than King touchy-touchy," Dink stated. The others nodded in full agreement just before they all vanished into thin air.