Jareth smoothed a lock of brown hair away from Sarah's sleeping face. She had fallen asleep soon after his story, never explaining why her father wanted them to send him a piece of cake. It was late, after all, and he didn't want to answer any questions she might have thought up once she got over the distraction he had offered. How he hated telling that story. He had never had to tell it before, at least, not to someone he loved and wanted to impress. It had been years ago, yet it could still affect him like it had been yesterday. He needed to get out of the castle at the center of the Labyrinth.
Easing the bedroom door closed behind him, Jareth headed down a corridor, his boot heels clicking on the stone floor. He let his feet decide his course for him, finding himself in one of his private, hidden rooms. He sat on the windowsill of the large window overlooking his Goblin City. He hadn't created it, the city spreading below him, but he was now responsible for all of it. That was something Sarah would need to learn, magic and the pressure it brought. Everyone thought that power and magic made everything easier, but it only complicated matters. But that lesson could wait until after the wedding. Right now, he needed a drink, needed to find a place outside the castle walls.
He didn't want the fawning attention he would receive if he went into the Goblin City as himself. That's why lady night found him walking the streets of paved stone in the old bird-man disguise he had used to waylay Sarah and Hoggle all those long years before. He pulled the ratty hat low over his eyes and left the drum behind. He wouldn't need it where he was going. Jareth pulled the blue ragged ends of the ends over his talon-hands. There was a decent pub (for a Goblin city anyway), the Dancing Firey, near the center of the Goblin City. He would go there for a drink and a place to think without repressed memories returning to haunt him. He much preferred the scathing, witty comment making king that he had become rather then the lost ten-year-old he had been.
He burst through the pub's swinging wooden doors, akin to a villain entering a tavern in a Western. Here, however, no one turned to look at him in shock. The patrons were used to dramatic entrances; it seemed to be a standard of living for them Underground. Jareth took a moment to survey the other patrons of the Dancing Firey. To his surprise, Sarah's old fan club was sitting at a table near the back of the pub. It would amuse him to find out what that crowd thought of the recent events. It would get his mind off the tale he had been forced to tell earlier.
Before sitting at a small table close to them, he snagged a drink from the short, goblin barkeep. Jareth was equally surprised that Sir Didymus was back in the Goblin City already. Dog-foxes were notorious wanderers; it ran in their blood. Rather like Gypsies in that way. That was how he had learned the layout of his newfound underground kingdom so quickly. The Dog-foxes would report their findings on their travels to him. He was able to create maps from they told him. In fact, he had merely gotten Sir Didymus to stay at the bridge in the Bog for so long because he had charged him with guarding it. Honor was the only thing Dog-foxes valued over their wanderlust. They were silly little creatures. It was amazing that they had survived as long as they had in the Underground.
"Can we be sure that this is what she really wants?" Hoggle was saying when Jareth lent his ears to the conversation. "I mean, what if he's just messed around with her head again? Not that I don't want her to stay. I just wish there was a better way then to have her marry him."
It was quite simple to figure out who the "she" and "he" were in the context of Hoggle's words. He wasn't surprised that Hoggle had these—reservations. Perhaps he would merit a punishment, and perhaps not.
"She told me that she was sure," Sir Didymus told Hoggle. "If there is one thing a woman completely understands, it is the affair of her heart. Thee need to give the king a chance. He was not horrible, or at least, not as horrible as he could have been to her. Can thee fault her for falling for him? I know what thy art thinking, but I tell thee now that it is a foolish hope. Thy will never compare in her mind. We all wish that she hath found someone more in line with our hopes for her, but we can not make her choices for her. It would be the knightly thing to do to follow her wishes."
This did surprise Jareth. He didn't expect that Sir Didymus would be on his side. Or at least, wasn't completely against him like Hoggle was. It amused him that Hoggle still held out some hope that Sarah would fall for him instead. Talk about Beauty and the Beast, or maybe the Frog. Did he want to become a prince again? Jareth could arrange it, but he didn't think Hoggle would appreciate the realm he had in mind.
"Ludo confused," the big, furry creature moaned. "Sarah stay, but that bad? Ludo no want Sarah to leave. Ludo missed Sarah."
Once again the big lug had nothing of importance to say. Jareth shook his bird-man head, beak waving in front of his eyes. He drowned the rest of his drink and slammed his glass down on the table in front of him. It hadn't been very amusing. If anything, it had only infuriated him. So, two of the three didn't think he was good enough for his love. This merited punishment. Yes, he remembered that he was unsure whether Hoggle deserved any for his earlier speech, but now he knew he did. Jareth would have to muse over it before he could devise a malicious enough punishment.
He stood up, almost knocking his chair over on to the floor. He glanced behind him at the table once. Sir Didymus caught his eye, touching a paw to his dark blue velvet hat. Jareth's eyes widened, but he didn't stay to have the Dog-fox call him out. He strode out of the pub, heading straight for his castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Jareth didn't how that miserable wretch had recognized him. But recognize him the Dog-fox had. The Goblin King returned his domain and his sleeping beauty.