Chapter Five: Friends In Peril

The Goblin King forlornly touched his forehead in deep thought. There was much
to think about as of lately. Many problems had presented themselves one after another,
after another. Now Sarah had seen him in his weakened state. It was an event he had
hoped would have never happened. However, it had and there was no way for him to
reverse its occurrence.

"No, there is a way," Jareth muttered to himself.

He could always make her forget that it had happened. However, that would take
precious magic, magic that was so scarce recently. Jareth refrained from using his crystals
often. He had made the mistake of using one to help Sarah out of the deep hole into
which she had fallen.

It was almost like the magic was rebelling against him. He would use it once and
then the horrid pain would strike with fury. Jareth shivered as he thought about the
sickening agony he had been forced to endure over the past few weeks. It would soon be
over with, once his plan was put into motion. Firstly, he had to bring Sarah back to him.

Jareth glanced around the glass and crystal room in which he sat. The walls were
of cut glass. Ruby cascades that had been made out of the most lush velvet material,
draped across the walls. The far wall was lined with crystal shelves and upon the shelves
rested ancient books. The books had been bound with gold and leather. They were
magical, historical, and priceless. The only furniture in the room was a chair that had been
lined in the same velvet as the cascading drapes.

The center of the room was occupied by a smooth glass oval that had suspended
itself in midair. The glass flashed momentarily and then returned to its normal state.
Jareth's gaze fell on the glass. He waited to see if it had decided to cooperate with him,
but it remained still.

"These tiresome parlor tricks," Jareth moaned to himself.

He rose from the chair and clasped his hands behind his back. He wore no cape
that day. Jareth was dressed simply. He wore a white shirt that scooped down to the
middle of his chest. His pants were slate gray and tight, as usual. He wore boots that
reached nearly to his knee. His large amulet, that was dangling from his neck, swung as
he walked around the crystallized room.

He touched a section of a wall gently and it swung away from his touch. The wall
was replaced by a large painting that had been worked on for years to achieve perfection.
His blue eyes gazed into the girl's tender face. Her thick brunette hair drifted in a breeze
that had been frozen forever in the painting. She was dressed as splendidly as a princess,
but he still hadn't captured the special flame that burned in the girl's soul.

"Sarah," he spoke in a whisper and touched her face with his hand.

Jareth's amulet shone brilliantly. He felt the warmth from the necklace press
against his fair skin and tremble slightly. Jareth pulled his hand away from the picture and
grasped the amulet tightly. It burned his hand visciously and he dropped it.

"I will have you back here, Sarah!" Jareth threatened.

He tore the painting from the wall and threw it to the ground. There was no room
for emotions. He had to face her as an opponent if he was going to succeed in regaining
control of the magic. Everything was at stake and there was no room for mistakes of any
kind. The Underground would certainly die if he should grow weak with her.

Jareth threw open that glass door and walked out of his room. The goblins knew
that they could never enter the room. They called it "bad room" or simply "danger".
Jareth knew the room by no names. He only went there to think in silence. It was his only
escape away from the dirty and bumbling goblins.

"I say, let me go!" a voice rose up from the throne room.

Jareth listened to the commotion and decided against walking the rest of the way.
It sounded like he had guests. Jareth smiled at the thought and then instantly faded into
nothing. He reappeared in the throne room, in front of the large congregation of goblins
and his three new prisoners.

Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus stopped their complaining abruptly and looked
towards the Goblin King. Jareth smiled at them and then sat in his throne. The fox waited
only a brief moment and then continued with his cries.

"You beasts. Tis' not the way to fight! I say, let me face thee, Goblin King, and
we shall fight to the death," Sir Didymus threatened as he struggled against the many
goblins that had him restrained.

"It shouldn't come to that my dear fellow," Jareth chided, "I have no fight with
you three. I am simply using you as bait to lure someone else to my castle."

Hoggle's eyes opened wide as he realized what Jareth was talking about. He
pulled against the goblins' strong grip and tried to free himself. Jareth laughed at his
attempt and then walked over to his former employee.
"Why Hegwor," Jareth began.

"Hoggle," he replied. He scowled at the Goblin King.

"Are you angry with me? I dare say that you are trying to attack me! No, I must
be wrong, you are just a simple coward."

Hoggle turned his face to the ground and muttered something under his breath. It
was true that Jareth had always been able to manipulate him, but Hoggle felt like he had
courage. He had helped Sarah last time and he knew that he would help her a hundred
times more, if she so needed. However, Hoggle hadn't seen Sarah for years. His courage
had started to falter.

Ludo moaned loudly from his position on the ground. The goblins had chained his
arms and legs. Ludo could easily overpower them. It had been a last resort. Jareth
walked over to the large beast and looked down at him. Ludo frowned and howled
mightily. The sound echoed through the whole castle.

"Man..bad!" Ludo cried.

Jareth covered his ears and then waved his hand before Ludo's gaping mouth. The
sound ended abruptly. Ludo opened his mouth to yell again, but no sound followed. He
tried again, but Jareth had silenced him. Ludo closed his mouth and then snuffled a few
times.

"Take these creatures to..to," Jareth's pain was flaring up in his head as he spoke.

"Take them to the dungeon," he finished quickly. Jareth stomped out of the room
and then retreated to the safety of his chamber.

Sir Didymus watched him leave and then looked over to his friends. Ludo was of
no help at the time. He had been chained and lost his voice. There was no chance of
calling the rocks for help.

"Pity, would have been a good show," Didymus thought to himself.

He looked to the three goblins that were dragging him towards the dungeon. They
were stupid brutes and not very much bigger than himself. Didymus glanced at Hoggle.
The dwarf was walking behind his captors with his head hung down. He wouldn't be
much help either.

"Fair play hath no meaning to thee heathens. Tis' poor sportsmanship," Didymus
complained.

He kicked one of the goblins with his furry leg and bit the other with small sharp
teeth. They fell away from him, nursing their wounds. Didymus only thought briefly
about their low threshold of pain. The fight had started and he was ready for an opponent.

"Hey, you can't bite him," a goblin complained as he approached Didymus.

The agile fox leaped in the air and landed behind the lumbering goblin. Didymus
glanced around his surroundings for a weapon. The only thing that appeared small enough
were the torches that sat atop the large metal poles. Didymus knocked one of the poles to
the ground and plucked the wooden torch from it.

"I demand that you let my two noble friends free! You are surrounded!" Didymus
cried as he held the unlit torch defensively.

He hopped from one goblin to the next, daring them to swing at him. His mouth
opened wide in the excitement of the battle. The goblins slowly inched away from him
and fell away from Ludo and Hoggle.

"Sir Hoggle, release my dear brother from those ghastly chains!" Didymus cried," I
will hold yon enemy at bay!"

Hoggle glanced up and noticed that Didymus had frightened the goblins away. He
rushed over to Ludo as fast as his short legs could carry him. He fell by the large beast's
side and attempted to free him of the restraints.

"We need a key!" Hoggle called to Didymus.

The fox immediately halted his jumping and turned to Hoggle. It seemed to be a
problem. Didymus lowered his torch and scratched his chin thoughtfully. The goblins
watched the strange creature closely and then inched their way closer to him. Didymus
immediately turned and held his torch up once again.

"I say, stay in yon corner!" he warned.

A powerful hand fell on Sir Didymus and lifted him into the air. His torch fell to
the ground and rolled by the crowd of scared goblins. Didymus struggled in the hands
that held him and only managed to face his captor. Jareth smiled back at him.

"I must say that your courage is remarkable, but I have no time for these antics,"
Jareth said.

He produced a crystal and spun it before Didymus' eyes. The fox watched it
closely and then fell promptly asleep in Jareth's grasp. The Goblin King tossed him to the
goblins and then grabbed Hoggle by his large ear. Hoggle mumbled something, but
followed Jareth towards the goblins.

"You must learn to speak up, Horgart."

"Hoggle," he demanded.
Jareth tossed him to the goblins and then walked back to his throne. The pain had
passed and his magic was listening to him for the time being. Jareth planned on taking
advantage of that. He hadn't been able to transport for some time. Perhaps the magic
would return.

Jareth's thoughts returned to Sarah. He had freed her from the car and had
bandaged her up as well. He couldn't have her injured. However, there was something
else driving his actions that he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was there, a different
emotion.

His anger that had flared at the small fox for causing the confusion, had died down.
He was able to sit silently in his throne and think about what he had been ignoring for six
long years. He had painted a picture of her and had written about her in one of the
gold-bound books. Still, it hadn't been enough to quench the burning desire to see her.
That was when he resorted to watching her in his mirror. He had seen bits and pieces of
her life, but it only made him more sad. He saw something that he longed for, but could
never have. His own evil nature kept him from trying to tell Sarah what he felt. It was of
no use. She hated him and would never be able to consider Jareth as anything but an
enemy. So that was the way it was to be.

"If she must hate me and I her, then I shall simply force her to do as I say!"