14 MEMORIES
As Jareth sat on his throne watching Sarah enter the tunnel he felt a single tear slide down his cheek as the memories of the girl Sarah had been flooded his brain. When she'd been here last, she'd been a happy child. The pain of almost losing her brother had cast a shadow over her, but she was still happy.
When she'd left, he'd watched her, he'd seen her life and what it had done to her. It had twisted her, turned her love to hate, destroyed her happiness and he'd watched a darkness within her grow and begin to consume her, only kept at bay by the love she still held in her heart for her brother and father. The girl she had been was gone and it was unclear yet as to what kind of woman she would become.
Watching her attack had sent an almost physical pain through his heart, he loved her and yet had been helpless. Without being called he could not enter Aboveground, nor could he remove someone to the Underground. He was helpless, until something had happened that he'd never seen before, the rules got bent and he'd been able to take her. He'd saved her, he knew he had. Without him she would not have survived. Right? He didn't know, he only knew he hadn't been able to risk losing her. She was the reason he was alive, she'd beaten his Labyrinth like so many others, but she'd stolen his heart too, and he'd never been able to get it back.
Looking at her now, he remembered the sweet little girl in a beautiful silver ball dress and he felt a second tear slide down his cheek, only to angrily wipe it away, fearing the weakness these old human emotions brought with them. In his mind's eye he could still see her battered, bruised, violated body and he could barely focus on anything else. He'd been called twice since bringing Sarah here, but he'd answered neither summons, they would call again, they always did. For now all he knew was Sarah, and once again he focused his mind on the image of her walking down towards the lake only to be startled to find her looking directly at him. Quickly throwing the crystal at the wall, destroying it in the process, he immediately created another, this time watching her from behind, determined not to let the pain of memories distract him again.