Chapter One
Jareth slumped down in his throne. He sighed as he placed a gloved hand over his face. He was so tired, but it was not a physical fatigue. True, ruling over literally hundreds of goblins (who likely couldn't feed themselves if left without a king) was a strenuous job at times, but he longed for a rest in a different way. He was simply tired of being alone. Of course, there were goblins always surrounding him, but really! These idiotic, bumbling fools could hardly be called companions! He sighed and halfheartedly kicked out at a goblin sitting near him faithfully, if their stupid clinging could be mistaken for a faithful act. The fortunate creature squealed and scurried away when Jareth's normally-accurate kick missed its target. "Jareth, you've lost your head over a girl," he thought, grimacing as recalled what he had told that disgusting dwarf, Hedgewart, or was it Hogwart? No, Hoggle. He should know this, after being corrected so many times... Not that he acknowledged those bold corrections. He rolled his eyes and went back to the only amusement available to one simply lounging about in the castle; he watched the goblins. Ah, how blissfully unaware they were of, really, anything beyond their own pathetic needs. He frowned. 'Envying the goblins? Jareth, it's time for a change,' he thought. He stood suddenly, and, in turn, many of his subjects cowered, but dared not move. They adopted looks of utter shock, though, as no one was thrown aside, kicked, or otherwise injured in any way. No threats were delivered either. This was highly uncharacteristic of their king. He walked briskly past a group of goblins, pacing, ignoring them at first, then, as if noticing them for the first time, he barked, "Leave me!" He watched in something close to satisfaction as they scattered, clearing the throne room and leaving him alone.
Chapter Two
"Sarah."
"Hm?"
"I'm bored." Toby sat across the dining room table from his older sister. He was visiting her, and finding out the hard way that, while it was a welcome change from Mom and Dad, living with an inspired writer for any amount of time could be a bit of a bore.
"Well, why don't you go outside? That could be fun, right?" "Okay." He rose, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked out of the room.
"Be careful," she urged.
"I will!" She heard the door shut with a loud click, then went went back to her latest work. She was a writer, and quite the success! One reason for her success was her extremely original ideas. Most of her books were about enchanting dreams she had had since she was...well, rather young. These dreams were centered around a single character, a king. He was portrayed a a true aristocrat, to say in the least. He was, at times, a bit spoiled, for lack of better words, but he had his good points. She shivered in delight as she recalled her many dreams of him. He was so...well, it couldn't be explained. Unfortunately, she didn't know his name. Yes, he was a fictional character in a fairy story, no less, but she felt wrong giving him a name that she had made up. Surely such a flawless character had a name of his own, but what was it? She shrugged and pushed the conundrum to the back of her mind, as she had done many times lately, and continued writing.
Chapter Three
All that was left of his Underground kingdom was a crumbling castle. He had reinforced its walls with his magic as well as he could, but it had taken time. Thirteen years, to be precise. Thirteen long, sad years.
There were still many goblins left, and the ruins of their already dismal and squalid city. He didn't really care about its condition though. He never had, but he didn't care about much of anything anymore. Why bother, really? His glorious labyrinth was reduced to mere collapsing partitions, his castle in something too close to ruins. Even he was a mere shell of his former self.
"What in the Underground has happened to me?" He knew well enough what had happened. He had loved...and lost. He just didn't want to admit it yet, even to himself. Fool's pride, or a king's pride? He frowned. 'Perhaps it is time for a holiday, Above. Perhaps...perhaps it will clear my mind.' Or worsen matters... He sighed.
Chapter Four
Sarah laughed triumphantly as she finished another long chapter. This latest work was a bit of a challenge. She knew what would happen up to a certain point, then.
"Pfft. Nothing." Perhaps she was being too hard on herself. After all, her ideas came mostly from her dreams, and she dreamt less and less. 'But when I do dream,' she thought, 'it's about him..' She sighed. she couldn't get over how real he seemed! One thing about him stood out in her mind: his unusual eyes. How odd, yet beautiful, stunning, were his eyes! They were mismatched, one blue as the sky, the other a rich shade of brown. She realized suddenly that she had drifted into a daydream, and shook her head to clear it. She happily started the next chapter.
Chapter Five
The past is just a door that you forgot to lock. Things--memories--come back if that door is opened. Jareth had never even bothered to close the door, and now he was paying for it. He gazed raptly at the wall, deep in thought. He was miserable here, in his own domain, his Underground! All because of six words recited by a young girl! He scowled. He was already in a bad temper, but thinking about her had exacerbated his foul mood. Yet, though he felt many things for her, not one of them was hatred. He made a statement to himself, trying to mollify his temper.
"The Goblin King offers his love only once. I'll not make that mistake again." It didn't help in the slightest. He sighed. If anything, it had worsened his dark mood. For the second time in his life, he felt like crying. He wouldn't, though. Kings do not cry, especially prideful kings.. To put the thought of tears away, he began making plans. He didn't think the goblins would notice the hiatus in his rule, or even notice he was gone, if he wasn't Above long. He decided to leave that very night. It took most of his magic to do the trick, but he did it. No sooner than he had begun, his form began to waver, and he disappeared, leaving his now-dreadfully-ruined Undergrond behind.
Chapter Six
Toby loved going to Sarah's house (even though she could be really boring) because she had a positively immense yard, and a patch of woods within walking distance. He was going toward those woods now. There was just something about being in a forest that was...well, it could almost make one believe in magic...but maybe he just read too many of his sister's books. Still, you're never too old or too good to wish that magical things really would happen. Toby had always belived strongly in that, and should he experience something magical, he would likely handle it in stride. He was very brave, age considered. He had never thought of himself that way, though. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the bite of the November air. He stopped at his favorite spot: a stump near the edge of the wood. He sat down and thought about what his sister's next book would be like.
Chapter Seven
Jareth opened his eyes slowly. When everything came into focus, he saw that he had, in fact, reached his destination. He found himself at the end of a dirt road, one obviously not taken often, perhaps because it led to a single dwelling. After he had recovered his strength (the journey to Earth had worn him out), and a bit of his magic (it never hurt to be prepared), he started walking up the road, hoping to find someone who could help him ascertain his whereabouts. As he walked along, looking anywhere but down, a rock came up in front of him, and (the inevitable in the situation) he tumbled and fell into the dirt. He cried out, suprised, as he fell. He lay on the ground, trying to rid his mouth of every trace of earth. When he finally rose, gathering each and every last shred of dignity he still had and dusting himself off, he heard a voice.