10 CONFUSION AT THE CASTLE

"Sire! Sire!"

The Goblin King was shaken from his thoughts by the interuption and drew his gaze away from the crystal he had been watching intently for the last few hours. As he looked up he saw Hoggle run into the throne room, only to stumble over one of the infernal chickens that were constantly running around the place. As he fell he slid forward, landing only a few feet from where Jareth sat on his throne.

"Sire," he said, scrambling to his feet. "I received yer letter, and I went t' the gate, but Sarah's not there. What 'appened to her?"

"And why do you care Higgle? What does she matter to you?"

"Why yer majesty, Sarah's my friend."

"Your friend? Really? Well if she's such a good friend why hasn't she spoken to you in years? I know you've tried to contact her, even tried to visit her didn't you. But she wouldn't answer, and without a summons you couldn't reach Aboveground. You say she's your friend, but she obviously has no love for you, so why the concern?"

"Forgive me, but yer wrong. She is a friend, she's just been distracted lately."

"Lately, I do not call over two years, lately."

"But Sire…"

"Do not 'but sire' me! Be thankful I sent you that letter at all, if you can't make it to the gate in time to meet her that is your fault and not mine."

"Yes yer Majesty."

With a dejected look on his face Hoggle turned to leave. Watching him leave Jareth felt a sharp stab of guilt. It was not Hoggle's fault he was so angry. Sarah had chosen not to come straight to him, and could he blame her? The last time she was here she'd seen the Goblin King, a cruel, unfair enemy, but it was what she had needed at the time.

The Goblin King was a persona created to make her appreciate Toby, just as it was made to make everyone appreciate those they wished away. It was personalised to every case, but it was not meant to be pleasant, he was not meant to be a friend. Yet with Sarah it had been different. The second she had spoken those words he had known she was different. Even back then she was a soul full of pain, her mother's death, he father's new marriage, her new stepbrother instilling in her feelings of being replaced, and something more. Something that struck deep within her soul, and caused pain she couldn't explain. Upon meeting her for the first time he had fallen for her, completely, his heart and soul were given to her the first time he set eyes on her, and he'd never been able to get them back. To play the villain to someone you love is hard, to make them reject you when all you want is to hold them, to tell them you love them, is soul destroying. Yet he'd done it, he'd had to, for her sake, for the sake of Toby and her father, he'd done it. It had killed him, but he'd done it.

And now she was back, and she'd rejected him. Had she seen through the mask of Goblin King before, had she seen the real Jareth, did she feel anything but hatred for him? He did not know. All he knew was that he loved her, and he'd do anything to keep her safe, that's why he'd brought her here. The second the first man had struck her, he'd felt it, felt her pain, but there was nothing he could do. Without being invoked he could not enter Aboveground, and not once during her ordeal had she even thought of him. He'd been helpless, but he could not stand by and watch her die, so he'd done the one thing he could do, he'd brought her here. Now all he could was wait, wait for her to decide what she was going to do.

"Hoggle, wait."

"Yes your majesty?"

"She's in the forest."

"The forest?

"Yes the forest, with the Firey's…"