Finale: World Of Possibilities
That was the year the Goblin King returned and a whole world of possibilities opened up…
The ballroom thrived with life, glamour and sophistication, yet for Sarah no one else was present; just her and the Goblin King.
Jareth looked resplendent in a deeply hued jacket detailed with fine gold. A long cloak clung to his narrow shoulders and swept to the floor in waves of fine material so dark it resembled the night sky. He wore a crisp white shirt, undone at the neck - she spotted the chain of the amulet he still wore. His feather-like hair, silver, gold and fair, framed every angle of his face. His mismatched eyes danced with merriment tinged with a hint of malice. Heat radiated from him but didn't reach those eyes; Sarah was unnerved and excited all at once; he was everything she remembered and more.
The moment of aloneness faded as curious eyes were drawn to the newcomer: many revellers started to remove their masks, compelled by some instinct in their nature to look upon one so unique. Witnessing their reaction made Sarah guarded.
He's used to everyone falling at his feet she realised, which made her irrationally angry, as if they had no right to such a reaction, or maybe she herself should know better and remain immune to his charm.
Jareth made a gallant bow, his eyes never leaving hers; for a moment she almost responded with a curtsey, as she had observed others doing around the ballroom, but she realised just in time this would appear awkward - trousers lacked a certain glamour afforded by a floor-skimming skirt.
I'm so out of place, she thought, flustered. To cover her discomfort she broke the silence.
"You… it was you - I knew it" her eyes narrowed in response to his arrogant smirk.
"No, Sarah, it wasn't." His voice was deep, velvety, calm and amused. She imagined long conversations, without malice or conflict, listening to him talk in soft tones.
Stop it, and concentrate, her rational self protested.
He gestured to the throng of dancers moving fluidly around them, breaking their flow to pass the immobile pair.
"Come, Sarah, is this any way to behave at a social gathering?"
He raised an elegant gloved hand. They couldn't remain stationary, blocking the path, and the edge of the dance floor was far away.
Reluctantly, she took his hand, marvelling at the lightness of his touch. She shivered as he pulled her close; he moved easily into step with the dancers, guiding her beside him, as though they had spent a whole lifetime dancing together already. She didn't know the steps, but it hardly mattered; instinct overtook inexperience and she became graceful. He was tall; she gazed up into the face that featured so strongly in her dreams in those months after her triumph and return from the labyrinth, curious as to how reality compared to her memories. He smiled confidently under her scrutiny; all the while he murmured lyrics she could not define, to a tune she did not know. It was so surreal Sarah wondered whether she was in fact dreaming after all.
"Why have you done this?" She asked, breaking the spell, trying to regain control of the situation.
"I've done nothing at all, Sarah" - she fell out of step at such blatant denial.
"I was rather preoccupied with the kingdom you tore asunder to concern myself with the one you returned to" the Goblin King stated matter-of-factly. A dark expression shadowed his eyes, as though the memory of his once-ruined kingdom pained him still. She hesitated.
"Oh now Sarah, does it disappoint you, that you weren't the foremost concern in my mind?" he locked eyes with her, a bitterness tinged his fine features.
"But… you must have caused this" she insisted. A small fear grew within her; if not him, who else could be responsible for what was happening, and for all that had occurred in the years since they had parted?
"Willingly bestowed power upon you?!" he scoffed.
"You made your thoughts on that subject quite clear. Why would I squander such talents where they were so obviously unwelcome?" He moved nimbly, propelling her towards the edge of the dance floor.
"But you're here now!" she persisted, moving deftly in time with the melody and in perfect harmony with the agile man at her side.
It would be so easy to lose myself here, and I cannot do that, I must concentrate, she willed herself; it struck her, not for the first time, that she was dancing with undeniably the most charismatic man in the room - they were drawing curious and jealous attention.
"A prospect to delightful to resist" he admitted, clearing their way easily from the dance and into an alcove that led out onto a large balcony, overlooking the grand canal. A finely-wrought metal fence edged the balcony, more decoration than adequate barrier, and Sarah hung back. Jareth knew no such hesitation and strode to the balcony edge, tracing the curls of the fence with light fingers, almost a caress. He glanced back toward her, silently inviting her to stand beside him.
"Whispers, rumours, tales of the human world going topsy-turvy. It became too intriguing, so I started to pay attention. Believe me, Sarah, finding you at the centre of it is merely an added bonus" he smiled wickedly.
Sarah felt dumbfounded, but concealed it by gazing out over the water, to the buildings sprawling in every direction, like a labyrinth, she noticed, and couldn't help but smile at the irony.
The labyrinth, the Goblin King, and a whole host of magic tricks to complete the picture - what more could a girl want? She felt tricked, convinced she was part of his scheme, and waited for him to continue.
"You have done this Sarah, and I, well… I want to know how." He looked uncertain how to proceed.
"I've done nothing knowingly" she declared, and there was a brief pause before he continued.
"No one ever completed the labyrinth; certainly no one had the audacity to ruin it once they had. You're unique Sarah. Though I had nothing directly to do with what's happening now, it's linked to your actions in the Underground. I think you took something from the labyrinth, or maybe it was given willingly, in acknowledgement of your unusual status" he chose his words with measured care. His seeming uncertainty renewed her confidence.
"Unusual status?" she repeated, stepping closer to the edge, closer to him.
"There are those who name you Champion" he admitted, quietly, all arrogance quelled for the briefest time. He waited for her response, but none came, so he resumed, the arrogant veneer firmly back in place…
"Despite your ungrateful refusal of all I offered before, I am willing to assist you. You've shown some degree of mastery over these new-found talents, but so much clearly remains beyond you, you're bound to draw the wrong kind of attention" he gave a sly glance, testing her, seeing how far he could go to provoke a reaction.
She remained passive, avoiding his eyes.
Tread carefully, she reminded herself.
"And in return?" she countered.
"Nothing; it will be a diversion for me, Sarah, nothing more. I believe I could show you all the wonders there could ever be, if you are brave enough." He was baiting, goading her, but this time she met him head on.
"I don't believe you. There are always terms, I know that now; I played your game, remember?" She watched as firelight danced from lanterns suspended from the walls, throwing him first into shadow, then into light, as if he himself were aflame.
Such illusions, so fanciful. Demons come from the flames, remember that, and be cautious.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"And yet I'm willing to offer… a truce . Come with me Sarah, see what you can become…" he raised a gloved hand. She half expected him to offer her a crystal, and all my dreams, but it was merely a simple gesture.
"My family…" she reasoned, thinking of Toby, who would miss her should she accept. "I can't."
"I can reorder time Sarah, I've done it before. No one need know you're gone. Time passes as I will it in the labyrinth: I can make the longest time there equate to one of your human hours, if that is your desire." He offered such persuasive arguments.
Jareth drew closer to her, the gap between them narrow. If she reached out, she could touch the fine silk of his shirt, prove to herself he was real, for she still felt half in a dream.
"No, thank you" she still didn't trust him, for all his fine ideas.
"I want find my own way through this. I have to!" She turned from him, moving towards the ballroom, and missed his sinking expression. His voice carried clear over the night air and stopped her in her tracks.
"You're a fortunate young woman, to have someone to turn to; to be able to go home and tell your father you spent the evening dancing in Venice of a long ago age, inside an enchanted painting which you yourself made come to life." It was his final play, but a calculated one; it hit the mark.
That's not fair, she thought. Why do I always fall into the same patterns with him? That's just how it is...
But what happens when you can't control it, she worried.
What happens when Toby, or Karen, or father, or some innocent bystander becomes entangled in this web you don't understand. Who else would believe even half of this?! Who wouldn't find it frightening: shattered glass, rumbling walls, flooded theatres? She turned to him.
"I spoke true Sarah. I offer help not through malice, or revenge; my interest is genuine. It seems our fates are entwined, why fight that?" The evening breeze played between the folds of his vast cloak, and for the first time Sarah felt the coolness of the night.
Suddenly a clock began striking the hour. The refrain hummed through Sarah's mind; she remembered the labyrinth, and her race against time to save Toby.
"It seems the party is over, and time is short" Jareth intoned.
Another peal of the bell-like chime gave truth to his words. She glanced into the ballroom, which had a transient clarity, almost like it was dissolving as the revellers broke into small groups, retrieving their cloaks and heading into the Venetian night.
She looked towards the Goblin King again, who watched her intently.
What answer can I give, what choice do I have, I don't want to hurt anyone, she thought, reluctant to embrace the small spark of her which thrilled at the prospect of adventure.
Our fates are entwined, he had said. Hadn't she known all along, even during those silent years when she'd begun to wonder whether he'd existed at all? Wasn't that why she had never entirely forgotten him?
The clock struck insistently.
I wonder if there will be thirteen chimes in this land of make believe?
She stepped towards him, the Goblin King… Jareth.
In a swift, graceful manoeuvre he swept his cloak from his shoulders and placed it carefully, reverently, around her, pulling her close and looking deep into her eyes.
"Your decision, Sarah?" he asked, releasing her gently.
She closed her eyes; the clock chimed thirteen, as she had known in her heart it would, and she gave the briefest nod. She felt a tender touch as he stroked a loose strand of hair from her face, and she opened her eyes to see why he waited, why they were still in this rapidly altering dream world.
"You must do it; this is your creation" he explained.
She looked surprised; deep down she still believed all this was his doing, despite his denials. The ballroom beyond was darkened and strange. Sarah looked closely for the first time in a while and horrified realisation dawned - they couldn't go that way, for the room was solidifying; the colours were less lifelike, less fluid; it was becoming a mere painting once more. The vibrancy became insubstantial, fading all the while as life became art once again.
That Sarah was the powerful one was a daunting, wonderful prospect. All the wonders that ever were, she thought… If you are brave enough…
She closed her eyes, pulled the cloak tight around her, and hesitantly raised her hand, their roles totally reversed. She felt his hand close around hers, and focused hard on recalling the labyrinth. Instinct guided her and with slow, measured steps Sarah walked to the edge of the balcony…
They were falling, fast, the wind roaring in her ears… If you are brave enough… and then the world flared gold… all the wonders that ever were… and they were flying. Sarah felt a lightness in her heart that she never realised had been missing; she saw vivid light become a beautiful indigo night sky, dotted with brilliant stars. She felt complete, falling into the unknown with the Goblin King beside her. A new world of possibility presented itself, and she was ready for whatever lay ahead.
A/N: And so concludes my very first venture into fanfic of more than one chapter. I'm already working on another story, Labyrinth themed again, and hopefully it won't be too long before I start posting the first chapters. It's a much longer piece than this one.
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