Thank you for the faves and follows. I do hope people are enjoying this little story of mine.
FOUR
At the sound of that deep, sultry, hauntingly familiar voice, Sarah's eyes slowly widened. Was it … possibly…?
She drew in a deep, shuddering breath and forced herself to turn. And there he was.
He stood in the middle of the clearing as the moonlight washed over him in a fall of silver brilliance, gilding him in light and shadows. His very essence seemed to draw in the light and reflect it in the misty aura surrounding him, his pale face expressionless as he regarded her. Through wisps of silvered hair, his exotic eyes met and held hers, and she forgot how to breathe for a moment.
"Why—?" She swallowed against her dry throat. "Why did you come here?" Her voice came out sounding much more husky than she'd intended, holding a sort of low, sultry tone she'd never realized she could make before. Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and she cleared her throat nervously to hide her embarrassment.
He tilted his head, lips twitching briefly in amusement. "I was given the impression that you wished me here," he murmured, his voice carrying clearly even though a good distance still separated them. "Can it be that you've changed your mind?" He tsked softly. "It seems you've not changed in all these years."
She scowled at the subtle barb. "Well, neither have you, apparently," she sniffed. "Am I the only person whose dreams you keep popping up in, or are you so bored with your life that you decided to go dream-hopping all over the world to give yourself some extra excitement?"
He laughed at that, and sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight. "No. Just you," he replied in a tone laced with gentle humor. "It is an intriguing notion, though. I may have to try it sometime."
She clenched her hands until her nails bit into her palms. "What. Do. You. Want?"
They were suddenly face-to-face, only she didn't remember seeing him move. Or maybe she was the one who had moved, but she didn't remember that, either. She found it too awkward to look him directly in the eye, so she contented herself to stare at the odd pendant he wore around his neck, glinting brightly against his pale chest. Funny how she couldn't remember ever seeing him without it. She wondered vaguely what significance it held. Was it a symbol of his nobility, or did it mean something more? Or maybe it didn't mean anything at all, and he just really liked necklaces—
"The question is, Sarah," Jareth spoke quietly, startling her from her thoughts, "what is it that you want?"
She glanced up and was instantly transfixed by an intent gaze. "I … I just want—" She hesitated. What did she want, anyway? She hadn't quite made up her mind about that … although several ideas currently ran a game of tag inside her head.
The atmosphere felt strange; heavy and charged like the air just before a thunderstorm. Sarah shoved her hands into her coat pockets, as much to warm them as to keep them from reaching up to touch the Goblin King's face, which she was very strongly tempted to do if only to convince herself that he was really there.
Something smooth and round and cold touched her palm, and she unconsciously withdrew it from her pocket, clutching the object tightly. She found herself holding the golden crystal, and her mouth dropped open. Hadn't she left the thing in its box? Sitting on the bed? At the house?
"I see you found my gift," Jareth murmured. "I do hope you like it. I had it made especially for you."
Her heart thudded, and she released the crystal like a burning coal. Instead of falling, however, it rose into the air and hovered before her face, spinning in place with a soft, golden glow. She flinched away, lest it touch her. "What is it?" she gasped.
He tilted his head again as a smile twitched his lips. "It's a crystal. Nothing more," he chanted, sing-song.
She huffed and glared. "You're so full of it. Your magic tricks are always more than nothing!"
"How very true," he agreed calmly, holding out a white-gloved hand. The crystal lighted gently, defying all laws of gravity as it balanced upon the tips of his fingers. "This crystal is more than nothing," he added. "It will grant you anything your heart desires. All you need do is look into it, wish for it, and it will come to be."
She offered a suspicious glare. "Really, now. My dreams, huh?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "So who do I have to wish into the Labyrinth this time? My grandmother?"
His grin was filled with mischief, just a little wolfish. "Of course not. She's far too old."
"Then what do you expect me to do? Rob a bank? Kidnap my best friend? Murder my family? What?"
He sighed and shook his head in mock despair. "I don't remember you being this cynical," he mused. "Rude and self-centered, yes, but not cynical. What has happened to you in three years to make you so bitter?"
"I am not bitter," she huffed, stamping her foot before she could stop herself. "I happen to like my life, thank you very much, and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your nose out of it and go back to where you belong!"
"Is that so?" He regarded her steadily. "You certainly don't seem very happy. Watching you these three years, I cannot help feeling that that you've been rather depressed with how your life is going. The things you dreamed of and wished for as a child no longer seem to make you happy. Can it be that your dreams are not what you thought they were, after all?"
"You've been watching me?" She gaped at his audacity, shocked and furious and just a little scared. She opted for fury. "Where do you get off?" she hissed. "You don't know anything! I'm happy! I'm satisfied! I love my life!" She gestured wildly to drive the point home.
Jareth proceeded to look unimpressed. He stepped closer to her. "You try very hard to convince yourself," he murmured. "But tell me why it is that you sometimes cry yourself to sleep at night. Why do you seem so lonely, when you are surrounded by the people you claim to love?" He stepped closer, further bridging the distance between them. "Why do you gaze into the distance as if searching for a place only you can see, with such regret in your eyes when there should be only contentment? But then, you never were very content with anything you had, were you?"
Sarah stared at him, all the fight knocked clean out of her. She swallowed several times, attempted to find her voice. "Y-you've got some nerve," she stuttered. "Whatever game this is, I don't want to play. Just go away. Leave me alone. Or else I'll say the Words again!"
"Your Words have no power over me." He shook his head, hair stirring softly about his face. "Not this time. We are not playing that game, and I shall leave only when I choose." He sighed a tired little breath, offered the crystal again. "A gift," he whispered. "It is only a gift. No strings attached. No tricks. No traps. Is this not your season for giving, after all? Take it. Live your true dream, if only for this night. That is all I ask."
The golden sphere floated from his hand to hover before her eyes. It spun and gleamed, and although she was well aware of the folly, she gave in to the temptation, let her gaze be drawn into its glowing depths, searching…
Deep within, an image slowly shimmered to life. There, a couple danced, gazes locked to each other; a tall, golden man and a dark-haired beauty in white, floating about an empty ballroom, heedless of anything but each other. Of course she knew who they were. And although well aware of the dangerous, reckless line she walked, she could no longer help herself. She realized what she truly desired, more than anything else in the world, was to be reckless.
As Sleeping Beauty once reached to touch her enchanted spindle, now Sarah Williams reached to cup her hand around the golden crystal and touch her dreams.