"What have you done to him?" Sarah growled at Jareth.
Hoggle yanked on her hand and pleaded, "Sarah, please, you has to get outta here."
Sarah didn't even look down at Hoggle, but instead fixed her furious stare on Jareth, who clenched his jaw and met her glare with one of his own. "Now, Sarah, I told you there had to be punishments for their actions."
Sarah could feel Hoggle's hand trembling on hers in fear and he whimpered, "Sarah, you has to go before he does the same to you!" She looked down at Hoggle, her eyes filling with tears. Despite the rank smell coming off him, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Hoggle's terror was quickly overcoming his adrenaline and instead of embracing her back, he just pulled resolutely on her shirt, trying to tow her out of the room.
"Hoggle," Sarah said softly. "I'm so sorry." Gently, she took Hoggle's hands from her shirt and once again rose to face Jareth. He could see the fury bubbling just below the surface.
Jareth crossed his arms and casually leaned his weight back against the desk again. "Don't give me that look, Precious. You're the one who determines what is and is not fair, so tell me what punishment is fitting for treason—"
"The Bog, Jareth? How could you!" Sarah shouted, her self control finally spent at having her own words from her run through the Labyrinth spouted back at her.
Jareth's expression was growing blacker by the second and Hoggle's terrified pants could be heard from across the room. "Sarah, don't!" the dwarf breathed from behind her.
Now too angry to heed Hoggle's advice, Sarah spit, "What kind of king has subjects who live in fear of him? What kind of king would condemn an innocent creature to the kind of life you've given Hoggle!"
Jareth pushed off the desk too quickly for Sarah to react and stood in front of her, his face inches from hers as he growled, "A king who expects one simple thing from his subjects, which is that my orders be followed. When they aren't followed, my kingdom is at risk. When they aren't followed, it's treason. Truthfully, Sarah, you know nothing of what it takes to protect these witless things. Would you rather I killed him?" Sarah fought with every fiber of her being to keep her back straight as he leaned over her and raged in her face.
She was quiet for a while, digesting his words. Both were breathing heavily, their eyes locked on each other's. Finally, Sarah said calmly, "I'm taking him with me."
He snorted derisively. "What, back Aboveground? I'm sure your family will be ecstatic at seeing a filthy, rancid dwarf in their home."
Sarah could feel the tears rise again as she realized that she couldn't take Hoggle back with her. Jareth's glare flickered as he saw the anguish in her eyes, and unfortunately for him, she saw the waver in his. "Take the smell away from him," she whispered.
Had she commanded him, Jareth would have refused instantly, but she didn't. Her voice was soft and pleading and it cut him. She was asking him to do something decent for someone that she loved. Another stab of jealousy ran through him, but with it came the desire to have her realize similar feelings for him. His hand twitched in the dwarf's direction as the door burst open again with a bang. A goblin stuck his head into the room and said frantically, "Your majesty, the queen demands you see her in the throne room!"
Jareth let out a frustrated growl at the goblin, who gulped but stayed where he was. He forgot Sarah for a moment and ran a hand anxiously through his hair, wondering what could possibly have happened now. "Queen?" Sarah's surprised voice cut through his confusion and he glanced down to see her slight look of betrayal. She thought the goblin meant Jareth's queen, the Goblin Queen. Jareth allowed a smirk as he thought that maybe the girl was a bit jealous at the thought of the Goblin King having moved on from her.
His eyes flicked over to the dwarf before he said, "Please excuse me while I tend to the queen." He turned on his heel and headed to the door, turning back to say, "And do open a window, I'd rather my bedroom not smell like the Bog." Laughing at Sarah's angry face, he sauntered out of the room.
Sarah stood for a few moments, her chest heaving with indignation at that arrogant, insufferable man. Queen? Since when was there a Goblin Queen? More importantly, Sarah wondered why the idea bothered her so much. However, once she caught another wave of the stench wafting off of Hoggle, her thoughts were focused on the more important issue of her friend's. She crouched in front of him and tried her best not to grimace. "Hoggle, what's been happening since I've been gone? Where are Ludo and Sir Didymus?"
Hoggle was now glancing around the room, obviously terrified at being in the king's chambers. "They're as well as can be, livin' back in the forest," he said, his voice shaking. "We was all dropped right into the Bog after he took us away from you."
Sarah put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, Hoggle I'm sorry. I should never have let him take you."
Hoggle finally focused on her face, taking her hands in his rough ones. "No, Sarah, you couldn'ta done nothin'. The only thing that we could be happy over was knowin' you was safe back in the Above. When I heard the king had dragged you back down here, I had to rescue you!"
Sarah fixed him with a sympathetic look and said, "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you, but I came down here on my own, Hoggle. I wanted to see you guys. I just… I got a little sidetracked." Her cheeks flamed red as she thought of what she'd been doing just before Hoggle stormed in. To her shame, she couldn't help but wish for a moment that Hoggle hadn't burst in quite so early... As soon as the thought entered her mind, she forced a picture of her friends falling into the Bog of Eternal Stench to the forefront of her mind, and her fury returned in full force.
""""
Jareth paced in front of his mother, who stood anxiously before the throne, toying nervously with the belt on her lavender gown.
"The council allowed him to condemn her to death?" Jareth hissed. "Knowing that she carried an heir, they still allowed it?"
"Yes. They say that because there are no witnesses to her running the Labyrinth—"
"But you saw it! Damn you, you were the one to ensure she ran it!"
Niamh sighed and dropped her gaze as she said softly, "I would have had to explain my role in the situation. For a time, you were close to being sentenced to death… they would have done the same to me, and I don't have the protection of a coming heir."
"Once again, you cowardice claims another victim!" he spit at her.
Niamh closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying slowly, "Not necessarily. The council was in favor of letting you keep her, but your father and Kennan. If you give them another choice, they will reconsider, I'm sure of it."
He shot her a condescending look. "And what choice is that, mother?"
Niamh smiled at him, but her eyes remained cold. "If she runs it again, with witnesses this time, you will at least have a case through the old laws."
"The king won't allow it," Jareth said after a pause.
Her face changed into one of cold determination. "Leave that to me. Just find a way to make sure your human cooperates and get her in that maze."
""""
Jareth gathered his magic around him and travelled back to his chambers, arriving just outside the closed door. He could hear Sarah's voice mixed with the gravelly rumble of the dwarf's. Her voice sounded so gentle and he was struck by the difference in tone when she was addressing him compared to when she was addressing the dwarf. How was he ever going to convince her to run again? He wouldn't take her brother again; he swore two years ago that he wouldn't. She had other family, but then he would have to protect them from Tiernus, even if their memories were wiped. He knew she wouldn't do it if he told her the real reason she had to make it through the maze again, especially not after learning what he did to those traitors… his eyes narrowed in thought as he chewed over her relationship with them. He sighed in resignation as he decided what he had to do, but he knew gaining her forgiveness would be a long road after this.
He pushed open the doors and strode into the room, disturbing Sarah and the dwarf as they stood in front of the open balcony doors. The breeze helped with the stench of the dwarf, but Jareth's nose still wrinkled as he approached. He watched her long body stretch to her full height as she stood and crossed her arms.
"Jareth," she said. He watched her mouth form his name and committed it to memory, knowing it would be while before she said it so calmly again. She raised her chin and forced some power into her voice as she said again, "Jareth. You will cleanse Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo of this smell. Then, you will reopen the link in my mirror to this world so that they can visit me. Finally, you will let me return home."
He smirked at her show of determination. She was always so wonderfully theatrical. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you practice that, Sarah?"
She pursed her lips, but otherwise ignored the question. "Well? Will you do what I say?"
His smile widened. "No. Why on earth would I?"
"Because it's right! I beat your Labyrinth, and I deserve it!"
Jareth narrowed his eyes. "That was years ago. I can't give you all this for nothing, Sarah. What if word gets out that the Goblin King bowed to the demands of a little human girl?"
Sarah clenched her jaw and growled, "What do you want, Jareth? What would it take for you to let me have them?"
There it was. "Why, Sarah, you'd have to run the Labyrinth, of course."
The blood drained from her face. Jareth's challenging stare was unwavering and she finally said, "I can't. I won't do it again."
Jareth sighed and flicked his wrist, making a crystal appear on his fingertips. "I see I have to provide more incentive." He flung the crystal behind him and where it dropped on the floor, Sir Didymus and Ludo appeared. Sarah gasped and ran forward, burying herself in Ludo's fur and hauling the little fox knight in with a hand. She didn't even mind the smell as she cried out in relief at seeing them.
As Ludo's huge arms came around her, he sighed, "Sawah." Sarah felt a huge tear land on her head and she gripped him and Didymus closer. After a moment she took a step back to look at them, only they disappeared the second her hands left them. Sarah blinked in shock, staring at the place where they stood just moments ago. After a few seconds, Sarah's head whipped around to stare daggers at Jareth. With a snap of his fingers, Ludo and Didymus popped back into the middle of the room, only this time they were in a huge cage, the iron bars latticed tightly together.
"No!" Sarah shouted, grabbing the bars and pulling, but they remained in place. Ludo was whimpering with his hands covering his eyes, while Didymus was frantically slicing at the bars with his little sword, grunting with the effort. Sarah heard Jareth snap his fingers again and the cage disappeared entirely from the room, taking Ludo and Didymus with it. She marched up to Jareth. "Let them go!" she yelled.
"Of course," he said calmly. "In thirteen hours." Jareth studied her expression as she realized she was cornered. A part of him was enjoying this, enjoying making her suffer for what she did to him, but another part winced at the defeated look in her eye.
Finally, she looked over at Hoggle, who was cowering behind the balcony door and sighed. "I guess I don't have a choice." She met Jareth's stare. "Fine, I'll run the Labyrinth, and I will beat it again. When I win, you'll do all the things I asked. And you will leave me alone."
His jaw clenched at that last sentiment. "And what do I get when you lose?"
Sarah's brows drew together in confusion. "I won't lose, but I thought we agreed that I won't get to see them anymore."
"We agreed on nothing. You made demands of me, now it's only fair I make demands of you. If you win, the traitors will be de-bogged and may visit your world whenever you like… but when you lose, your smelly friends will remain as they are, living out their lives in punishment. And you, Precious, will remain here with us." Jareth finished his speech with a smug expression.
Sarah's mouth hung open in shock. "But you… you promised me when you brought me here that I could go back!"
"You certainly can. If you win. The choice is yours, Sarah. As always, every choice has consequences. You can leave this world now and your friends will stay in their torturously rancid states and tiny cages. Or, you can play my game again for the chance at everything you want."
Hoggle shot up from his spot on the floor and shouted, "Sarah, no—"
Jareth held out a hand toward the dwarf and he fell silent as if someone had pushed the mute button. "What will it be, Precious?" Jareth said.
He watched her go through all the possible outcomes in her mind, marveling in the way her bright green eyes betrayed every emotion. Fear, regret, anger, humiliation, defiance, and, finally, defeat. Sarah's shoulders slumped and she whispered, "I'll do it."
Ok guys, you'll be happy to know that I'm finished with finals and can now devote more time to writing.
I know there wasn't a whole lot of action in this chapter, but there were some pretty important negotiations. Jareth is one tricky guy. Please, please review! I love them all. I've been lucky to get really great followers on my stories who post awesome reviews, so thank you!