Sarah braced herself and nearly ran through the same spot the king had gone through. She didn't expect to make it, so she squeezed her eyes closed and expected the worse. She was mildly surprised when she ended up on the other side of the wall. This time, the hall was filled with tons of doors in between each of the tapestries. The king was leaning against the wall. Overall he seemed very nonchalant, but there was something else about him. He left his position against the wall and started walking down the hall. Sarah reluctantly followed him. For a while, they walked in silence. It wasn't necessarily an awkward silence, but it most certainly was not a welcomed one.
Sarah had so many emotions going through her head. The majority of them conflicted with each other. She didn't want to have to think of them. "So," she started, "I've been here before." She expected some sort of a snarky remark, but instead she was greeted with an intense gaze. "Yes, Sarah, what of it?" Sarah really didn't know what she getting at. "Well," She trailed off. "Can you tell me about it? It may help me remember." The king nodded. "I suppose so, but may we do it over dinner? I realize you must be famished." Without waiting for an answer, the king started walking again. Sarah followed close behind. She was relieved when they reached a very ornate dining hall. Sarah had expected something much smaller, after all it was just the two of them and this place seemed like it could hold hundreds of people.
At the far end of a rather long wooden table, there were two plates set. The place at the head of the table, and the one directly to the right. The king pulled out the chair to the right and motioned for Sarah to sit down. He then found his own seat and sat down. The room they were in was absolutely beautiful. It was decorated in rich colors like gold and burgundy. The table they were seated at was a work of art in itself. "Well?" Sarah questioned after the king was seated. "Sarah, please, calm yourself." He rang a tiny silver bell and servers came out with trays of food. They placed them on the table and left, without so much as a 'hello'. After they were gone, the king magically filled their goblets up with what looked to be wine. Sarah was going to protest the drink, but she thought better of it. She didn't want to end up drinking something foul.
Moments passed and neither Sarah or the king moved towards the food. "I thought you were hungry," the king said. Sarah nodded. "Well, eat." He commanded. Sarah complied and reached for the food. For the most part, it seemed relatively normal. She ate faster than she had meant to. All the while, the king just watched her. Sarah found it a bit unnerving, but she was hungry so she didn't care. Eventually, she pushed away the food. "Okay," she said. "I've eaten, now will you tell me what happened?" The king smiled. "Sarah, do you know who I am?" Sarah nodded. "We've already established this. You're the Goblin King." Sarah said as if it was the dumbest question in the world. "Everyone knows that." He said plainly. "What is my name?" Without even thinking, Sarah replied. "Well, its Jareth, isn't it?"
The king shuddered inwardly when she said his name. He loved the way it sounded on her lips. "Yes, but how did you know that?" Sarah was confused. How did she know that? It was just like when she looked at the Labyrinth from the study. How did she know it was called that? "You see Sarah, the Labyrinth must have put a block on your memories. After you so blatantly refused me, you returned to the Aboveground." The more he talked, the less Sarah understood. "So, the Labyrinth erased my memories?" Jareth shook his head. "No, it doesn't have that power. It merely placed a wall around them, I believe. The more you try to remember, the stronger the wall gets it seems." Suddenly, it made sense. It was like trying to remember a dream after you woke up. The more you tried to remember it, the less you actually remembered.
"But, everything seems different." Sarah started. "I mean, I don't know for sure, but I think things are different here." Jareth flicked his wrist, and everything on the table disappeared save for their glasses. He picked his up and sipped the wine. "Sarah, the Labyrinth is ever changing. It is not same as it was when you defeated it. If that was the case, people would quickly memorize the route. What good would it be then?" Sarah supposed he had a point. Sarah wanted to say something, but she didn't want to offend the king. She most certainly did not want to incur the wrath of the king. "I, uh, I mean you seem different too. I don't remember exactly, but you seem more… not bad I guess." His melodious laugh filled the dining hall.
"Sarah, I was never the evil one." He stated. "You just saw me as such all those years ago. Things are never quite as one-sided as that." Sarah felt stupid. Before she knew what she was doing, she got up from the chair and started out of the dining hall. She needed to be alone. She needed to think. She was relieved when she didn't hear footsteps following her, she hoped he had got the point. She wandered aimlessly through the halls. Every now and then, she would stop and change her direction. After what seemed like hours, she stopped. She was tired and overwhelmed. She sunk to the floor, and although she tried not to, she started to cry.
She looked up when she heard someone walking towards her. Jareth stood in front of her. He extended his hand and helped the girl up from the floor. "I'm sorry, it's just…" She started furiously wiping away the tears. Jareth gently grabbed her wrists and placed them at her sides. He was so close. Sarah's body broke out into gooseflesh and shivers traveled down her spine. Her jade colored eyes met his beautifully mismatched ones. He brought his gloved hand up to cup her face. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. Sarah didn't know why, but she found herself sinking into his embrace. His arms snaked around her waist, and he hugged her close to him. Sarah took in his scent. He smelled absolutely wonderful. It was musky, but there was something else. Almost like sandalwood. One of his hands soothingly rubbed her back, while the other combed through her hair. Eventually her sobs subsided. She took a step back, and Jareth reluctantly let her go.
"Thank you," she said, her voice cracking. Jareth smiled, but it didn't quite touch his eyes. That was when the girl realized that he wasn't just comforting her, that he was also seeking comfort. Before she could comprehend what she was about to do, she reached her arms around the man's neck and sought out his lips.