Disclaimer: I don't own "Labyrinth" or the characters, I merely borrow them occasionally for daydreaming purposes.
Warning: Tiny bits of lemon fluff (wistful sigh). No goblins were harmed (much) although a few chickens are now scarred for life and one thinks it is a goblin (which is actually kinda funny).
Author's Note: Thanks for the lovely reviews. I ordinarily am totally a fangirl for 'Dark and Nasty Jareth', so this story is out of character for me to write, but has been lots of fun. For those that think Sarah is acting OC…she is at the moment. Her actions and comments when running the Labyrinth were actually (in my view) false-bravado, so the way I'm portraying her feels more 'accurate' of a 15/16 year old girl when faced with someone like Jareth.
Also, the reference to 'Rosalinda' (The Chicken of Destiny) is a nod to some of my favorite Labyrinth fan-fic from Lixxle :)
As always….I live for reviews (and almond M&M's). Please feed my addiction and review! :))
Sarah turned around, peering at herself in the three-way mirror by the dressing screen. She could hardly recognize herself, as the new outfit was by far the most daring thing she had ever worn, although Genevive assured her that it was perfectly acceptable attire for a young woman in the Goblin Kingdom.
Gone was her rust colored peasant blouse, brown skirt and boots. The new shirt of forest green silk, made her emerald eyes seem somehow brighter, emphasizing the black rings around the iris. Sitting low across her bust and off the shoulder, the blouse featured full sleeves gathered just above the elbow with pastel and moss green ribbons that danced down her arms, allowing the remainder of the sleeve to fall open in a trumpet shape the fluttered as she moved. She was still wearing the rich black skirt that Genevive had picked out, only it was now gently ruched up to the middle of each thigh with pale green jeweled buttons. The ruched material created a lovely drape effect that revealed deep emerald colored tights woven with golden vines that wrapped around her legs, as if caressing them, then disappearing into knee high black leather boots, made of leather that was so soft and supple, it felt like she was wearing her favorite pair of slippers. Over the green shirt, she was now laced into a leather corset that framed her bust rather than covered it, caressing the underside of her breasts and raising in a sharp point between them. The corset was help in place with thin leather straps that rose up over her bare shoulders, fastening in the back. The final touch was the emblem embossed upon the center front of the corset, a golden downward facing horn, identical to the pendant Jareth wore.
Standing back, Genevive surveyed Sarah and smiled, her red curls bobbing as she nodded.
"I'm so not sure about the corset," Sarah stammered, as she looked once more in the mirror. Not only was it essentially saying – "Here, look at my breasts" - she was afraid that Jareth would think she was being presumptuous by wearing the same emblem he wore. Originally the corset had a plain front, but once she put it on Sarah, Genevive decided it needed something more. Whipping it quickly from Sarah's body, she hurried next door to the tannery and leather worker's shop, only to return a quarter of an hour later with the corset now embossed and decorated.
"Is it too tight, m'Lady?"
"Ah…no," Sarah shook her head, trying to figure out how to explain her fear to the seemingly jovial Genevive. "I'm just worried about the emblem. Surely, it can't be proper for me to wear anything embossed with the King's emblem?"
Genevive smiled gently at Sarah, patting her hand in a motherly fashion as she crooned soothingly, "I am sure His Majesty will be most pleased. I don't know if you'll believe a simple seamstress, but trust me when I tell you, that you of all people are entitled to bear that emblem on your person in any way you so choose," she grinned.
Clapping her hands happily, Genevive, spun Sarah around toward the door, "Your dress will be ready later today, just send your goblins back to pick it up when you head back to the castle after your tour. And do have fun, m'Lady. Everyone is very happy to have you visit us once more."
Sarah looked at the pile of fabric scraps where Bob and Squint were softly snoring and laughed. She nudged them gently with the toe of her boot, giggling at the way Bob was clutching a scrap of gold velvet to his face and petting it in his sleep.
"Good Rosalinda…" he muttered, smiling in his dream.
"Come on boys…up and at'em," Sarah urged them.
When that didn't work she figured she'd try it the way the king would. With her hands on her hips, she smirked evilly at them and snapped, "If you two don't wake up right now, I'll do something to you that will make the Bog of Eternal Stench look like a garden of daisies. Now MOVE!"
With squeaks of shock, the two small goblins hopped to their feet, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, Bob still clutching the remnant of gold velvet.
"You betcha, Boss Lady!" yelped Squint, as Bob tenderly tucked the fabric remnant into his belt, petting it where it hung.
Sarah was feeling pretty impressed with her inspired solution to waking them up, only to blush furiously when she heard the dry sound of leather gloved hands clapping slowly behind her. Sheepishly, she turned toward the sound to see the Goblin King leaning against the door, a sardonic smile lighting his face as he looked at her.
"My, my, Sarah Dearest. I'm gone only an hour and already you are bossing my goblins around as if you were Queen. Feeling a bit full of ourselves are we, Precious?" he drawled, raising an eyebrow sharply at the emblem emblazoned upon Sarah's waist.
Following his gaze, Sarah looked down and felt her face flush hotter than she would have thought possible – in fact she felt as if she was in danger of going up in flames. Quickly her hands found the laces on the side of the corset, tugging sharply at them trying to free herself.
"It wasn't my idea," she spluttered, unnerved by the way he was looking at her. "I knew it had to be wrong, I was happy with the original plain version." Struggling with the laces, she whimpered in a panic, "Damn it….why won't this thing come off!"
Two long strides took the King to her side, where he promptly stilled her hands with his.
"Sarah," he commanded quietly, "Stop." Shaking his head at her, he pulled her hands away from the lace she had finally managed to untie. Releasing her hands, his nimble fingers retied the laces, pulling gently to tighten them once more. "You look lovely Precious, and I would not have you change one single thing about your attire."
"Um….thank you….I think," she said hesitantly, unsure how to respond. Although his statement seemed like a compliment, the instant heat it created inside her chest and belly told her that there was something more to his words, something that she both longed to hear and feared greatly.
Sarah fought the rising feeling of heat that once again crept up from her chest and into her cheeks.
- Damn it…all I seem to do around him is blush like a silly school girl. – moaned her inner-self in dismay.
- Um…hello….you ARE a silly school girl. – chirped her libido – And he, is most definitely NOT one of the silly boys at school. He is DEFINITELY someone to get worked up about.
'If only I realized that last year.' – she thought with a pang of regret.
- No…you were too young. Still are for that matter. – retorted her conscience sagely.
Snapping his fingers at the goblins, Jareth nodded briefly at Genevive before taking Sarah's hand, leading her from the shop and into the streets of Goblin City. They walked a short distance through the higgedly-piggedly streets that seemed to run into one another in a set of random and illogical angles and curves. Sarah felt sure that whoever designed the streets of the city must have been under the influence of some heavily alcoholic beverages when the city had been laid out.
Seeing the Goblin Market for the first time was something of a shock to her system. She had been to markets before and they were always laid out in neat rows of colorful stalls, the Goblin Markets however, were very different. Stalls were tucked along the street, in doorways and allyways, with seemingly no regard for pedestrian traffic or orderly flow. Not only that, but they were far more colorful than the markets Aboveground, and far more noisy thanks to the flocks of black chickens that meandered their way amongst the tables of the stalls and pecking at the legs of unsuspecting shoppers.
Jareth and Sarah wandered amongst the stalls of the market silently, the King nodding occasionally to merchants and subjects as they greeted him. As they moved through the market, Jareth kept close watch on Sarah's face, amused by her rapt expression as she explored the items available. It had been years since he had wandered the market, so it was refreshing to try to see them as Sarah was seeing them – something novel and unusual.
At the spice stall, Sarah leaned over the table, breathing deep as if trying to memorize the exotic scents that wafted up from the bowls of richly hued herbs and spices. In another stall, he watched her randomly picking up and smelling perfumed oils and bath salts, her verdant eyes shutting when she found a scent she liked, a feline smile gracing her features, as she purred happily.
"Do you like it, Precious?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder to breathe in the luscious scent of cinnamon and citrus that drifted from the bottle she was holding.
Sarah shivered slightly at the feeling of his breath on her bare shoulder, moving the open bottle closer toward his face to share the scent.
"Hmm….yes," she enthused, "Cinnamon smells so rich, which makes sense as it was the scent of ancient kings Aboveground due to the rarity of the spice and danger of the trade routes. And citrus just smells like sunshine." She hesitated, nibbling her lip sheepishly. "….And I'm babbling," she muttered, her voice dropping as her cheeks flushed.
Jareth stifled a chuckle at the way she seemed to shrink downward as she noted her tendency to overcompensate when he was around – either blushing or babbling – although he found both somewhat endearing and was pleased with the continuing proof that he was indeed having a distinct effect upon the girl, one that was appropriate given her age and lack of experience with males, much less one as ageless as he.
Sniffing the bottle again, Sarah pursed her lips as if thinking. "The only thing it needs is …." she turned, perusing the shelves, she plucked bottles and sniffed the jeweled stoppers until she found the one she wanted.
"Leather," she murmered, "Perfect," she smiled, looking at the merchant she gestured with the bottles in her hands, "May I mix them?" she asked.
Smiling, the merchant nodded, watching her intently as she carefully added several drops from the leather essence bottle, to the bottle of cinnamon and citrus. Sarah shook the bottle gently, then removed the stopper humming happily at the scent, before offering the stopper to Jareth.
"Hmm…all it needs now is amber, but I don't see any," she mused, delicate fingers caressing the vials and bottles as she searched through them once more.
"Amber is quite expensive in the Underground, Sarah dear. But tell me, what do you like about that combination?" he enquired, his lips lightly grazing her cheek as she turned to look at him, her breath catching in her throat as she registered just how close he was to her.
Her eyes fluttered from his lips to his eyes, then darted away, the intensity of his expression too much for her to take. Gulping to swallow the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat at his nearness, she managed to rasp, "It makes me feel …safe….I-I don't know, it just gives me goosebumps and makes me feel warm."
Chuckling, Jareth straightened up, his pale eyes flashing mischievously at her before speaking to the merchant.
"Grogan, the black bottle," he instructed with an elegant wave of a gloved hand.
The merchant handed a black crystal bottle to Sarah, who turned it over in her hands, her finger lightly tracing the engraved horned symbol on the front, a symbol she had come to think of as the Goblin King's signet. Peering up at Jareth quizzically, she pulled the stopper from the bottle, sniffing it delicately, a shy smile spreading over her face as she inhaled the heady scent that drifted from the depths of the bottle.
"That's the smell….the one I was thinking of," she breathed softly, pausing to inhale the scent from the black bottle once more, green eyes fluttering shut as an audible purr hummed from her lips.
Leaning close to her once more, Jareth chuckled, the sound rich, dark and secretive.
"That, Dearest Sarah, is a scent made especially for me and sold to none other in the Underground," he murmured, his eyes flashing with a hint of something Sarah couldn't quite place, something that made her insides tremble, but was not threatening, although definitely dangerous. "However, for you, I believe an exception can be made."
Jareth nodded silently toward at the merchant, who carefully wrapped the carved crystal bottle in tissue paper and handed it to Bob, who added it to the basket of items he was carrying. Seeing the bottle going into Bob's basket, Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by a tender gloved finger, lightly pressing against her lips.
"Surely you were brought up with enough manners to know not to turn down a gift freely given, Precious?" he asked smoothly, an amused smirk teasing his lips as he looked at her, almost daring her to object. And he was not surprised when she did.
Sarah shook her head, "But you've done so much already. I didn't come here for this. I just came to…." she paused, her gaze dropping to the ground as she toed a pebble with her boot.
"To…what, Precious?" he drawled, inclining his head as he looked at her, his voice a deep velvet caress that hinted at many things, most of which made Sarah blush at the mere thought.
- …to spend time with you of course – sighed her inner-voice dreamily.
- …and how – added her libido in absolute agreement.
Watching her, Jareth knew she was at war with herself over something, something he was sure had to do with him, and his proximity to her. He was endlessly amused by the way his closeness flustered her, keeping her emotions off balance, while drawing her nearer to him. For once he wished he had the power to read her mind rather than just her dreams.
"I um….well…ahh…." she stumbled over her words, trying to come up with something, anything to say, as she practically melted under his intense gaze.
- Way to go Sarah. Real articulate. – scolded her inner-voice petulantly.
Blushing, Sarah shrugged, finding it suddenly difficult to think, much less form words with the way he was looking at her, as if he were the Big Bad Wolf and she were Little Red Riding Hood. Peeking at him, she saw the sharp points of his canines framed by his almost feral smile.
- … all the better to eat you with my, dear – purred her libido, making Sarah flush all over and visibly quiver at the very thought of his teeth on her neck.
Seeing Sarah tremble at her thoughts, Jareth's eyes shone in sudden understanding, a triumphant smile upon his lips. Leaning in, he whispered softly, so that only she could hear, "So tell me, Precious Sarah, are you sweet sixteen and never been kissed?" he purred, his breath flowing over her neck and bare shoulder like lava, sending burning embers to smoulder under her skin.
Sarah flushed crimson, her answer apparent as she her dropped her head as if to look away. Jareth seized the moment, a gloved hand gently lifting her chin toward him, his lips finally meeting hers, to complete the kiss that was initiated so long ago, in the crystal ballroom of her dream. Her lips felt like rose petals, soft and moist after a spring storm, fragile even in their tenderness.
The feeling of the Goblin King's lips on hers surprised her, her body tensing momentarily as her heart paused, stunned and forgetting how to beat, before starting once more only to take off at a frantic pace. Without thinking, she sighed deeply, the sound one of supreme contentment as the tension of her initial reaction relaxed, allowing her to revel in the sensation of his kiss, gentle, but insistent.
Breaking the kiss he stood up, his eyes darker as he gazed down at her, making her shiver once more despite the warm, early-fall air. Flicking her tongue lightly over her lips, she smiled – he tastes of chocolate and cinnamon, she thought, her senses overrun with the deliciousness of the moment.
- Now THAT is what I'm talking about! – crowed her libido happily. – Talk about a birthday present worth making the trip to the Underground for. And YOU actually considered not coming! Hah!
Jareth watched her lick her lips, a look of wonder and satisfaction fighting for dominance in her emerald eyes. As much as he wanted to kiss her again, he fought the impulse, knowing that to push her too far would risk sending her running from him again, and really, he had had quite enough of that on her first trip to his kingdom and had no desire to incite that reaction from her again.
"Come Precious," he said, steering her from the stall and back into the flow of bodies as they cruised through the market.
The pair glided through the market, weaving between the other shoppers as if in some delicate dance, their goblin porters trailing along behind them. They had stopped to watch a goblin playing a small recorder, while another danced a silly jig, when Jareth frowned, cocking his head to the side again.
"Blast and damn," he swore, shaking his head in disbelief. "Two wishers in as many hours, practically unheard of!" he grumbled. "I am sorry, Sarah-mine, but duty calls. I will return shortly." With a small puff of glitter, he had vanished.
Sarah sighed, not as taken aback by his abrupt departure as she had been before. Turning to the little goblins following her, she grinned, taking the heavier basket from Squint who was struggling with it.
"Oh noes you don't Boss Lady!" he squeaked indignantly, attempting to snatch the basket from her hands, "Majesty dump Squint in bog if he lets you carry dat basket!"
Laughing, Sarah shook her head, "Then we just won't let him know about. Now come on you two, I'm hungry and want to sit down for a bit. Do you know of any place where we can do both?"
The little goblins stopped in the middle of the walkway, oblivious to the way they were now forcing shoppers to dodge about them as they obstructed the pedestrian traffic in the already crowded marketplace. They whispered quietly to each other in a somewhat urgent fashion, their hands waving in opposite directions, as they appeared to be arguing over where to take her. After several moments of heated debate, they turned back to her smiling broadly.
"So Boss Lady, how do ya feel 'bout chickens?"