HERE YOU GO! This one's actually on time - perfectly on time, not a day early or a day late or anything. The next one will be on time as well. I will make sure of it.
Chapter 6
The hallway leading to Jareth's tower room was less than soothing, the dark-stained wood embellished with iron sconces molded into the shapes of various bizarre goblin faces shocked and fascinated Sarah simultaneously. The torches burned unsteadily, and the fretful movements of Thilly as the Changeling girl led the way did nothing to quell Sarah's rising fear. Perhaps that was meant by the design – a simple ploy to impose apprehension on visitors… If so, it worked like a charm.
Sarah was careful to stay close to Thilly. The paths and hallways of things in the Underground were rarely as linear as they appeared to be and Sarah didn't want to wander down the wrong corridor. But, sooner than she'd expected yet not nearly soon enough, Thilly stopped in front of a large, dark wooden door that matched the walls around it. An iron handle and latch were the only things marring the dark, polished wood and the idea of what lay beyond made it seem like a looming threat.
Settling herself, Sarah pushed in front of Thilly and raised a fist at the polished mahogany...
…the knock that resonated through Jareth's tower room now was so different from the last one he'd heard that he almost laughed. It was almost a pounding, like Sarah was hammering her fists at the door in anger – and she very well might have been. Jareth still didn't know the true reason why Sarah wished to see him after two weeks of peace and quiet.
Of course, as far as he's concerned, it couldn't be anything good… That girl was sometimes more trouble than she was worth.
Going against his usual standards as King, Jareth pushed away from the window he'd been staring out of and opened the door himself. When he did, the Changeling girl from earlier gave a little squeak in surprise then spun around to run down the hall and disappear into the flickering shadows.
She left behind a very flustered Sarah Williams.
The girl had changed little since the last time they'd seen each other. Her clothing was a bit more presentable – obviously she'd borrowed a proper dress from one of her roommates – but aside from that, she still looked dingy and bedraggled… And angry, too. Very, very angry. He could see it in her eyes, though she attempted an air of carelessness by crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe.
"Well," she said snidely. "Are you going to let me in, King Jareth?"
She spat the final words out like they were an umpleasant tast in her mouth and Jareth grinned as he stepped aside with a mocking flourish.
"By all means," he said. He shut the door with an audible thud that rang through the room and turned to find Sarah staring out the distressed glass window in awe.
The world Sarah saw was in shambles and it was all she could do not to fall apart in another wave of guilt. She really had been little more than a reckless tornado of a girl. She'd thought that it was her duty to do whatever she could to save Toby and had the false impression that all the goblins and dwarves and whatever else lived in the City were against her… Now that she thought back to it, it'd only really been the guards who were against her, but she'd destroyed the houses of the villagers all the same. Innocent, minding their own business, and she'd flattened their homes for her own selfish reasons.
"That's right," Jareth's voice broke into her thoughts, "you haven't seen outside yet, have you?"
She turned away from the window, hoping in the dim light that he couldn't see the glossy look that unshed tears gave her eyes, and focused angrily in on Jareth. "And you haven't been much help in the matter, huh? Keeping me locked up in here like I'm another one of your slaves, when I'm not – I'm the sister of your precious heir, and I only get to see him once or twice a week. I know Toby can't be happy with that, because he's practically screaming when I have to leave."
Jareth walked to the window and leaned against the wall next to it, staring pointedly at Sarah as the young woman fumed. Her arms were still crossed over her chest and, at the silence that now overtook the room, her composure started to waver. Her brown eyes flicked from Jareth's face to the window, then down at her servant's uniform with obvious distaste.
"I never forced you to stay indoors, Sarah," Jareth stated calmly, though his eyes glittered with the usual suppressed anger. "Your duties are designated solely by a Miss Noriche, am I right?" He nodded in answer to his own question and Sarah started to pluck at a loose thread in her grimy skirt hem. "If you feel that you're not being treated well by your superiors, I suggest you speak with them, as I have little to do with the affairs of the servants. I've set up a nice little system as far as these things go – the servants are ruled by the Upper-Level servants unless a number of them express serious complaints, then I look into it… But if I change things around for you, that would just be unfair, now wouldn't it?"
Sarah averted her eyes to the floor briefly, a flash of scarlet that could have either been anger or embarrassment coloring her cheeks under all the soot and grime, and Jareth smiled smugly to himself. He moved away from the window and circled around the room, well aware that Sarah's distrusting eyes followed his every move.
"As far as young Tobias is concerned," Jareth said. There was a pause as he stopped behind the dark throne, leaning his elbows on its back in a casual stance. "I think you're right… You should be allowed more time with him, and he is quite upset once you leave after your visits… but it would have to be done in your free time, as it just wouldn't be fair to put extra work on all your servant friends…"
Sarah stared, her mouth agape as her focus fluttered between Jareth, standing haughtily behind his throne, to the rest of the murky tower room. "I don't have any free time," she sputtered through clenched teeth. "The most I get is when I sleep, and even then it's hardly a couple hours! I had to take time out of sleep just to come here and talk to you! Plus, all the allotted hours for breaks don't fall into Toby's schedule – I've checked. The only way I could ever see him is if I don't sleep, and by the time the work day ends I'm absolutely exhausted!"
For a brief moment Jareth looked cheerfully victorious, though he quickly hid it behind a contemptuous frown. "Oh, well… isn't that just too bad?... Can't trade in a few moments of sleep for your own brother? Oh, Sarah… I thought more from you."
Sarah glared at Jareth, her teeth bared and practically snarling, "You planned this, didn't you? You made sure that Miss Noriche gave me the worst possible hours so that I couldn't see Toby!"
"I told you, Sarah… I don't plan the servants' hours – their designated leader does… Perhaps Miss Noriche just doesn't like you? ...Though, from your positively charming personality, I don't see how that could be the case."
Silence overtook the conversation again as Sarah glowered at Jareth, who simply stared back with a placid smile on his face. The time passed and the world outside darkened as the sun set further and further on the horizon and a dazzlingly bright moon began to rise. The appearance of the moon, vivid and white while tinged slightly with pink-purple haze, reminded Sarah bitterly of the crystals Jareth had used to both threaten and charm her into staying in the Underground.
Finally, Sarah adjusted her posture and looked down at he bare feet, scuffling her toes on the stone floor with an emotion that Jareth just couldn't pinpoint. "I want to talk about getting him out of here," she said quietly, careful not to let her voice waver and her eyes only rising to meet the Goblin King's face at the end of her sentence.
"I told you before, Sarah. He wished himself here – it isn't your place to get him out."
Sarah's eyes widened and she started forward, her voice no longer careful. "But he's only six! He didn't know-"
"We've gone over all this already!" Jareth interrupted. "Toby does not wish to leave the Underground, and therefore he will not leave. Now, I've considered your previous wish to see your brother more often and I've agreed to allow you one hour every other day during Tobias's lunch to see him – perhaps if Miss Noriche finds your performance particularly good over the next couple of weeks, I'll give you more time, but for now you'll be happy with what you've got, is that clear?"
Jaw clenched, Sarah nodded sullenly. She knew that Jareth was fully aware that not allowing her to spend time with Toby would result in the boy starting to distrust him and the Underground and he'd eventually wish to leave. She also knew that their entire conversation up until that moment was merely entertainment for the Goblin King – just as her ordeal five years ago had been. The Goblin King was a puppeteer, and Sarah was little more than his favorite marionette.
Jareth moved around to the front of his throne and sat down, his posture suddenly much more regal than usual and his eyes glinting with angry fire as he watched her. "Now, is there anything else you'd like me to do for you, Miss Williams?"
Sarah thought a moment and nearly gave a spiteful response before arriving to a much better conclusion.
"Yes," she said. "I want to see Hoggle."