22 VISITORS
Once again the grief flowed through him as he heard Sarah speak the words he'd just placed onto the bridge. The sorrow in the words still struck him as hard as they had ever since he'd first read them. He'd watched her write that very poem, crying all the while. He'd felt her pain, and then watched as she'd hidden the paper underneath her mattress. The next time she'd left her room, he'd transported a Goblin there to steal it and the rest of them. Once he had them in his hands he'd copied them in a crystal before sending the Goblin to return them. He'd spent hours upon hours reading them all. Pouring over her words, seeing their literal meaning then looking deeper, feeling the pain beneath them all. His mind had devoured them, committing them to memory. He still wasn't sure why he'd put them on the bridge. What was he trying to tell her? That he cared? That he knew her and still loved her? He wasn't sure, but it was done now, and once again she was back on the journey towards the castle. Towards him.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Hearing the words he turned and saw the lady that had raised him as her own, sat in his throne once again.
"Those were the girls most secret thoughts, meant for her and her alone. She never meant for anyone to see them, to see that deep into her. It was wrong of you to read them at all, but to then put them on the bridge in front of all her friends. How is she going to feel knowing you've been spying on her for all these years?"
"And what do you know? You come in here, not knowing her, not knowing why she's here, who she even is, and you make cryptic statements about her and now chastise me about my treatment of her. What makes you qualified to make those statements?"
"Because I'm your mother and I know you…"
"Mother? You were no mother, you raised me, but more than that? You trained me to be the Goblin King and nothing more. You never wanted a son, only an heir. Now go back to your tea parties and your high society and leave me to my life. Stop making judgments on everything I do, especially this."
"All right, I'll leave you, if only to stop us both saying things we regret, it always was our weakness. But take my word for this, if you try to get too close you'll push her away. You know how hard the decision she's going to have to make will be, if you want a chance, then let her come to you on her own terms."
Once again Jareth was left alone to brood over what was to come, and as much as he hated to admit she might have been right, he was worried he'd gone too far. Creating another crystal he gazed into it and prayed he wouldn't see anger in Sarah's eyes.