A/N: I apologize for how short the last chapter was, but this one was in my head, and the phrase I left off at seemed the best place to leave it. Enjoy the next chapter!
"I love you."
The words wouldn't sink into Sarah's brain; they seemed too out-of-place. He couldn't be saying them to her. It was impossible. No way would the insanely beautiful Goblin King be confessing that he still loved her, especially after the way she had rejected him and scorned him.
"Come again?"
Jareth exploded. "God damn it, Sarah! I love you! I have, since the moment I saw you in that park, reading your little fairy tales! Can't you understand something as simple as that? Why else would I have doted over you, tried to keep you in my realm? I didn't want you to leave. I wanted you to lose, to become my Sarah, my Sarah. Not anyone else's. I wanted you. I still do. Damn it Sarah…" She was completely shocked by the fact that a tear escaped down the seemingly cold, heartless, and cruel Goblin King's cheek. She put a hand to his cheek, and instantly his gaze hardened. "If this is a pity thing, you will regret it later, Sarah. I told you before, I feel sexual desire amplified." The moment the word was out of his mouth, it was on Sarah's neck. He covered it with kisses, sending waves of shock and pleasure through Sarah. Jareth's touch was more than any human could bear, and more than any human would ever endow upon their lover.
Jareth's lips had managed to cover most of Sarah's neck in a very short time, and she leaned back in the bed, and he followed her, his body surprisingly light on Sarah's. His hands reached beneath the blankets, and he gently caressed her thigh. His kisses trailed upwards, from her neck to her jaw, where he was wonderfully gentle with her. His lips made their way towards her lips, and when his lips met hers, she was in heaven. As suddenly as his kisses had started, they stopped. Sarah quietly groaned in annoyance that he had the nerve to kiss her then suddenly stop! And when she was obviously enjoying it, no less. "Jerk," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. She furiously blinked them back. Jareth was not going to see her cry.
"Do you understand now, Sarah? You have no idea what I want to do to you. But you humans are so frail," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hell, you even haunt my dreams. And it's more than I can bear." He looked down at the ground, a sad smile upon his face.
"Jareth, I…" she paused. The man in question felt a shock. The way she said his name made his heart flutter. He was as bad as the female humans sometimes. Sarah picked up where she had left, more confidence laced into her words. "Jareth. I won't tell you I love you. Because honestly, I don't know what the hell I'm feeling. Like you said, humans are a complicated mess of emotions. I don't even know how we deal with it, but we do. There are times when I want to say I love you, but honestly," she took a deep breath. "You scare the crap out of me sometimes, you know that? With your whole 'fear me, I am all powerful' persona and all. Yes, I do feel something towards you, but I don't know what it is. I just don't know…" she said bitterly. "Give me some time, okay? I don't want to do anything with you and find that I really don't feel anything towards you. But I also don't want to leave you hurt and then find that I really do love you. Damn this, why can't I just single out one emotion?" Sarah sighed, burying her face in her hands. Sometimes things were just too complicated, and difficult to deal with. She felt Jareth's hand on her shoulder, trying to be comforting. She glared at him. "Just leave me alone, damn it."
Jareth stood and exited the room without a word. She sat, staring after him, almost regretting what she said. But no, she felt relieved to have told him, even if it did mean that things changed, for better or for worse. Sarah felt a tear fall from her eyes, and she didn't bother to blink it away. He wasn't there, and he was the only person she was not going to cry in front of. She did have dignity, and she was not going to lose it by showing weakness in front of the Goblin King. The one she feared and possibly loved. Yes, he had haunted her dreams too, but the dream scared her. She didn't know if that truly were the extent of her feelings, or if it could just be the fact that he was memorable and she had never gone past kissing with anyone. It was just teenage rampant hormones, for all she knew. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes?" she called out, her voice oddly hoarse. The door opened, and a female (well, Sarah was pretty sure it was female, it didn't have as many warts, and actually had braided hair) goblin entered, carrying a lump of delicate-looking cloth in her arms. She looked up at Sarah and smiled.
"'Allo, miss," she said. Sarah was now absolutely sure that the goblin was female, as the voice was a clear soprano tone. "Jareth sent me to get you dressed. That is, he said, if you're still goin' to join 'im for breakfast. He sounded mighty distraught if you ask me." She looked up at Sarah with a questioning look. Sarah was flooded with guilt. She had no idea what the time in the Labyrinth had been for him after she had left. As if she could read her mind, the maid picked up speaking. "When you were gone, miss, he was in a mighty bad temper 'arf the time. It was dreadful scary. He banished 'arf the goblins to the Bog of Eternal Stench and then 'arf of wot was left was turned into rocks or summat or other. But it was mighty dreadful. Even tho' 'e's distraught right now, 'e's 'appier than 'e's been in a long time, miss. Now, if you'll stand sos I can get you dressed. You will be joinin' 'im for the meal, right, miss?" the maid asked. Sarah nodded dumbly, standing so that the maid could dress her. She had no idea what happened to her ability to dress herself as she stood, the maid throwing a pink silk dress over Sarah's head. She pulled it down to Sarah's feet and laced the back. Sarah gasped. "It… has a corset?" she asked breathlessly. The maid chuckled.
"No miss. I just 'ave the laces a bit tight for now." She loosened them, and Sarah rubbed her ribcage. "Better, miss?"
"Much better…" she paused, when she realized she didn't know the maid's name. "What's your name?"
"Ah, my name's Arietta. Just give a yell if you need anythin' from me. I'll be goin' now, miss. The dining room's easy enough to find. And I 'ope you know 'ow to brush your own hair?" Arietta laughed when Sarah's expression was blank for a moment, then she was struck with the question and nodded. "Bye, miss!"
Sarah made her way to the dresser she hadn't known was there. There was a small mirror for her, and as she looked around, she realized that most everything she needed was there. Brush, comb, even makeup was provided. She smiled as she picked up the silver-handled brush and ran it through her hair. When she had completed the simple task of brushing her hair, she applied a little makeup. She was never one for overly complex makeup, just putting on a bit of eye shadow and clear gloss. She smiled at her reflection, and stood. It was then that Sarah almost hit herself in the forehead.
"Damn, I need shoes!" she groaned, frantically looking around like her life would end if she didn't find a pair of shoes. She was immensely relieved when she came upon a pair of cream colored ankle boots, thankfully with low heels. A broken ankle was the last thing she needed, especially Underground. Finally deeming herself ready, she put her hand on the door handle and took a deep breath. 'Relax, Sarah,' she told herself. It was just breakfast, after all. Right? She couldn't keep the guilt and doubt from her mind as she opened the door and stepped out. The door closed on its own behind her with a loud thud. She jumped, but began her quest for the dining room.
The castle was a mystery to her, and she wandered it for several minutes before stumbling upon the dining room. Jareth was already seated at a large oak table with ornately carved chairs accompanying it. He looked up at her, and his eyes shone with admiration. She really was beautiful.
"Come, my dear, sit. You need to eat. It's been a while since you had any food," he said with a disarmingly charming smile. Her heart nearly melted, but she caught herself. She sat across from him, placing a good ten feet between them. Jareth seemed disappointed by her choice of location.
"Sarah, love, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that for me?" he asked. Sarah nodded, not looking up at Jareth. Rather, she engrossed herself in following the grain of the wood. Jareth took a deep breath and began his tale.