Thanks to Aliano, notwritten, and aeenc.

Chapter Four: A Gift and A Question

When Jareth locked her in, all she could do was scream and pound on the door in futility. After a couple hours of this, her voice was hoarse and her hands were bruised. When it became apparent to her that no one was going to answer her cries, Sarah walked over to the bed and examined it more closely. The posts of it had carvings of goblins and other Labyrinthine creatures all over it. Her eyes wandered to the bedspread, red as blood with intricate designs in gold thread. The sheets beneath were black, as well as the pillows. Her gaze continued up to the headboard, and she was aghast to see the carvings were of men and women in lewd acts. Disgusted, she wrenched the sheet out from under the cover and flung it over the headboard.

Continuing her exploration, she noticed that all the furniture was made of a very dark wood that she didn't recognize and it all had ornate carvings of goblins. There was a bookcase, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a settee. Moving towards the book case, she noticed that all her favorite books and books she had been planning on reading were on the shelves, as well as a few purely decorative items that, while entirely modern, seemed to go well with the bookcase. It was the same way with the entire room. The furniture was antique in nature, but everything else seemed like it was bought yesterday. She had wanted a room like this, and had been planning on it for sometime.

It occurred to her after examining the room, that there were no lamps, yet the room was very well light. There was no window to speak of either. Closer inspection revealed that the walls themselves seemed to glow. Sarah shuddered and crossed her arms. The room disturbed her more the longer she was in it. She could think of nothing else to do but to try and sleep. Crawling onto the bed with ease, she let the curtains of the canopied bed out of their ties, and was pleased to see they blocked all the light from the room. The sheets and cover were made of a material Sarah didn't recognize. It was as soft as silk but breathed like cotton and had sheen to it like satin. Soon after she had settled into the bed, a strong smell of soothing lavender became very apparent in the room, and helped her drift into a slumber that was as peaceful as this strange situation would allow.

Meanwhile, Jareth lounged in his room and watched her through a crystal. Night was always his favorite time, as it was quiet and peaceful and he could finally be alone. When Sarah slipped into the bed, he was immensely pleased, and created a lavender vapor in the room to help her sleep. He had prepared for her to be more difficult, but she was obviously too exhausted to put up any more resistance than she did. Just as he cast away the crystal, he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter." The door opened slowly and a timid young servant girl peeked from behind it.

"The dwarf Hoggle is requesting an audience, Your Majesty." The girl bowed deeply and held herself there as he walked out past her. Upon entering his throne room, he saw the dwarf standing in the middle of it, looking quite tired, but determined.

"How dare you bother me at this time of night," Jareth said sharply before coming to stand in front of his throne.

"I know that she's here. Matter o' fact, the whole Labyrinth knows she's here."

"Your point is?" Jareth's tone regained its familiar regality that Hoggle always cringed at. But Hoggle meant business right now and straightened himself up.

"I want to see her in the morning."

"And why exactly should I let you?" Jareth's arms came to cross over his chest as he looked down at the dwarf who had the audacity to demand something from him.

"I know that ya plan on keepin' her here for a quiet a while. And she doesn't know everything she needs to know in order to live here, and I believe I'm the best for the job."

"I've already chosen someone to educate her, what makes you think you could do any better?"

"She knows me. It would be bad for her to be taught by someone she doesn't know, and you know that." Hoggle's words hung in the air while Jareth thought for quiet sometime. Hoggle shifted his feet and pretended to be interesting in something under his fingernail before Jareth nodded in acquiescence.

"Sarah would be lost if I left her in the care of a stranger. I suppose you are right. You can see her in the morning and inform her of the situation. Faydra will show you to a room you may use." The young servant stepped out from seemingly nowhere and bid Hoggle to follow her. After they left, Jareth peered in on Sarah again to find that she was dreaming. Many a night he had slipped into her dreams with a master's expertise. Tonight would be no different.

Sarah knew she was dreaming. She didn't seem to know why she knew, though, as she had never been this aware before. She was standing in the middle of the street back home in her city. It was snowing, and there was no one around. Looking down at herself, she found she was wearing the same clothes she had put on the morning of her abduction into the Labyrinth. Cautiously she reached into the inner pocket of the coat, to find that the book was there. Sarah pulled it out and looked up, suddenly finding herself in front of the library.

Jareth watched her from the shadows as Sarah played out that entire day in her dream. He watched as she went into the library with the book, and came out without it. He watched as she went to her office and decorated for the party. He only turned away when the scene of her attempted rape began to play out, except this time, he had not been there to save her, and the dream version of Eric walked out of the office with a smug grin on his face. Jareth entered and saw Sarah lying on the floor, naked and bleeding. He reached out to her, but she looked up, tears and hatred on her face, and the dream ended.

Sarah sat up; sweat beading on her temples and tears staining her cheeks. It took her several moments to realize she was on the cold stone floor of her room. The dream came tumbling back and she couldn't bare it, and immediately locked it away in her mind. After a time, she stood from the floor and rearranged the sheets on the bed as best as she could, wishing for a window so she would know if it was really morning or not. As she fluffed the pillows, a sudden abundance of light hit her in the face and she had to squint to see. Where a wall had been only moments ago, a window was now. It was a large window, with stained glass, just like she had pictured in her mind when she wished for it.

It didn't take her long to understand what was going on and she imagined a balcony with French doors instead of the window, and with a slight pop, what she wanted was there. Sarah rushed to the doors and flung them open, relishing the burst of cool air on her skin. For the first time in more than ten years, she saw the Labyrinth, in all its shimmering, golden glory, and she gasped at the beauty of it. The Labyrinth of her dreams was no comparison to the real thing. As she looked out, she could spot the places she had been on her journey ten years ago, the garbage dump, the bog, the forest. Straining her eyes, she could just barely see the lands beyond the Labyrinth, and wondered what was out there. Seeing the almost alien landscape however, made her wish to go home. She slumped in dissappointment when nothing happened.

"I see you've discovered the gift I have given you." Sarah flinched and turned around to see Jareth standing behind her, looking rather casual in his leather pants and white shirt that was open to his waist. Sarah's eyes were drawn to his pendent, which she had only just noticed he always seemed to be wearing. Looking up at his face, she blushed to see he was staring quite intently at her. She turned away.

"Gift? Do you mean how suddenly what I wish for comes true?"

"Yes. I thought it would make your stay here more… pleasant." Jareth's voice had taken on an uncharacteristic sound of compassion that angered Sarah.

"More pleasant, perhaps, but I still can't leave," she retorted harshly. "Why do you care how I feel anyway?" Sarah grasped the railing of the balcony in anger, hoping he would just leave her alone with her misery.

"I care because part of you wants me to." He stepped forward to stand beside her, placing his hand close to hers on the railing.

"That's a lie. I hate you," Sarah whispered without looking up. Jareth sighed and reached out to lift her face towards him, frowning when he saw tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"I know that this is a difficult time for you." He wiped away the tears the fell and Sarah sniffled. "The man you loved tried to do something unspeakable, and then I brought you here against your will. I admit it might have been a mistake on my part, but what's done is done." He brushed her hair behind her ears before summoning up a crystal, and lifted her hand to give it to her. When Sarah looked down at the object in her hand, it had turned into a vial of pink liquid with an eye dropper in it.

"I don't understand…what is this?" She looked up to see that he had gone inside her room and was walking towards the door. She followed him and repeated her question.

"One drop of that in your left eye at night, and you won't be plagued by unpleasant dreams. Two drops, and you won't dream at all. It's your choice."

"Will it stop you from wandering around in my head all night?" Sarah asked. Jareth frowned and didn't answer.

"Faydra will be your attendant from now on." As he said so, he opened the door and the servant girl was standing just outside it with her head bowed, holding a tray laden with food. Jareth leaned towards her and whispered something before retreating down the hallway. Faydra entered the room and set the tray on the table before closing the door.

"His Majesty commands me to get my Lady ready for the day. I'll prepare a bath while you eat." Faydra opened a door that Sarah could have sworn was not there before, revealing a bathroom. Sarah went over to peek inside and saw that instead of a bath tub, there was pool the size of a jacuzzi in the floor.

"Lady Sarah, you really must eat." Faydra reappeared from the bathroom and ushered Sarah to the table. Sarah eyed the food that was neatly arranged on the tray, and cringed when she saw a peach sitting next to a plate of eggs and sausage.

"And if I refuse to?"

"My Lord is always watching…" Faydra lowered her voice to a whisper as she poured a glass of orange juice. "I am responsible for your well being, and if you do not eat, I will be punished."

"Punished? Would Jareth really do such a thing?" Sarah obediently picked up her fork and speared a sausage.

"My Lord has done so before."

"Why? What happened?"

"If My Lady wishes to know, I will tell her when His Majesty is not listening." Faydra looked to the bathroom and Sarah understood. She ate her breakfast, but hesitated when all that was left was the peach.

"I have to admit that I've never eaten a peach since the last time I was here." Sarah picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

"I promise it is not poisoned, I picked it myself this morning." Faydra smiled and returned to the bathroom to prepare the bath. Sarah cautiously bit into the peach, and when nothing happened, she ate it quickly and relished the taste. She wiped her mouth and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"So, Jareth isn't watching or listening to us in here?" Faydra nodded and pointed to a curtain near the door as she continued filling the pool and preparing the soaps and towels. Sarah went behind the curtain and began shedding her clothes, glad to be rid of them.

"You said that Jareth has punished you before, tell me about it."

"The bath is ready. My Lady may come out now, I will not look." Sarah stepped out and quickly got into the bath. Faydra turned back and grabbed something Sarah could only assume was shampoo, so she dunked underwater to wet her hair before turning her back to Faydra.

"Tell me about when Jareth punished you, Faydra. I want to know."

"The last time was many months ago. I forgot my place, and said something I shouldn't have. My Lord believed I was too bold, and he punished me for it." Faydra massaged shampoo into Sarah's hair and Sarah reveled the feeling of it, her eyes dropping and her head becoming lax. It took her several moments to remember the conversation at hand.

"What was your punishment?" The massage abruptly stopped and Sarah turned around to see Faydra lifting up her brown blouse to reveal her back. Sarah gasped and instinctively reached out to trace the scars. She counted ten cuts in all. "Oh Faydra…did he…?"

"No, he did not whip me. He doesn't need a whip to inflict such wounds. My Lord has many powers. These, and a night in an oubliette, were my punishment." She pulled her shirt back down and continued to wash Sarah's hair.

"What did you say that made him so angry?"

"It is not my place to say. You can ask him, but it is his choice to answer. You can rinse your hair now."

Rose sat quietly in her living room, reading her new book while Daisy was in the bath. Her parents were working today so it was relatively quiet in the house. Rose had gotten halfway through the book and was already a bit confused. In the beginning of the book, it said that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the young princess and given her special powers. Yet the character of the Goblin King seemed very sinister and there were instances in the book where he claimed to feel nothing for the girl and kept creating obstacles that halted her journey, and she never demonstrated that she had gotten any powers at all.

"This doesn't make any sense," Rose mumbled to herself.

"What doesn't make sense?" Her sister walked out of the bathroom while still drying her hair off.

"Oh, it's this book. In the beginning, it says that the Goblin King had fallen in love with this young princess, but throughout the story, he keeps trying to stop her from reaching her goal. You wouldn't believe some of horrible things he says to her as well."

"Maybe he's testing her….ya know, like that movie we saw a couple days ago, where the guy made the girl go through a buncha stuff before he let her become queen…"

"Yeah that's what I thought too, but if that was the case, he wouldn't say some of terrible things to her that he did…he insults her, her family… I just don't get it."

"If you're so confused then skip to the end."

"No, that wouldn't be any good, I always regret doing that."

"Whatever. I'm going to watch T.V." Rose placed her book mark between the pages and placed it on the coffee table, where it lay forgotten for the rest of the day.