I want to say that although this story is based off Jane Eyre I did my best to make it so it fit in with Labyrinth, so it wouldn't just be a copy of Jane Eyre. Thank you for the reviews I really appreciate them, and if you do read Jane Eyre you will see similarities in certain scenes, but it will not be copied exactly.
Chapter 2
Sunlight entering her window awoke Sarah the next morning. When she saw the broken glass from her oil lantern on the floor she recalled what happened before she went to bed. Sarah grabbed her shoes resting below her bed and slipped them on so she could clear up the glass. She did not have a broom in her room when she came here so she had to pick up the shards by hand.
Unfortunately she pricked her fingers a couple time while clearing the glass from the floor and throwing the shards into a bowl one of goblins gave her. She looked at the window where she saw the creature staring at her, as she picked up the last couple shards of glass. Sarah wondered if she genuinely witnessed something outside her home. Perhaps she was overtired and she imagined everything, her imagination often betrayed her at night, but last night seemed too real.
Sarah placed the bowl of broken glass on the short table by the fireplace. She planned to dispose of it later on once her day with Adele was complete. Sarah slipped on her cotton grey dress and tidied her hair, and then left her little home, but before she went to the castle she examined the outside of her house. There were scratch marks, four running parallel together all around her little home. What she saw and heard last night was real and Sarah felt that the claw marks were now just a warning for her. A warning of what she did not know, and for now she could not ponder on the subject for her pupil was waiting for her.
Adele was a welcome distraction for Sarah that morning; however she wished that Adele would be less observant. When Sarah came for her Adele immediately noticed the small cuts on Sarah's fingers. Adele had insisted at once that they go see 'Master' to heal the cuts for her, but Sarah told her the cuts were not serious enough for that. Sarah managed to get her back onto her lesson on how to behave and play with other children.
However, Adele did not forget Sarah's small wounds, and when they met with the Goblin King for lunch she immediately hopped on the Goblin King's lap and whispered in his ear that Sarah's fingers needed to be healed. The Goblin King looked up at Sarah with a raised eyebrow and wondered if this was true.
Sarah frowned at Adele and answered the King "My fingers were pricked by broken glass I cleaned up this morning." She explained. "It is not a serious injury."
"Let me see." He responded holding out a hand. Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She approached and held out her hands so the Goblin King could see the small scabs on her fingers. His hand held her hand lightly turning it so he could check all the damage. Sarah turned her other hand in a similar fashion so he would not have to grab that one to examine too.
The Goblin King let go of her hand and grabbed an empty bowl on the table in front of him and placed the bowl on the corner between him and Sarah. A crystal appeared in his hand and he placed it in the bowl, pressing on it until it turned into a clear liquid filling the whole bowl.
"Place your fingers in the bowl." He ordered.
Sarah, unwillingly, obeyed his order. He watched her as she dipped her first hand in, smiling a little when he saw her eyes widened when she felt her cuts tingling as they healed. After her second hand was healed Sarah wiped her hands on a napkin on the table and thanked the Goblin King for taking care of her cuts.
"It was no trouble." He answered. "And if you ever need to be healed you need only let me know and I shall assist you."
Sarah nodded and proceeded to sit at the table with the Goblin King. Adele leapt of his lap then and sat by Sarah in a chair between Sarah and the King.
"Are you mad at me for telling on you?" Adele asked Sarah innocently.
Sarah smiled down at her. "I'm not angry." She answered. "You were only concerned for me, correct?"
Adele nodded eagerly.
"Then you did nothing wrong." Bowls of chowder were placed in front of them by a goblin maid, and Adele began to dig in vigorously, and Sarah realized she would have to go over table manners with Adele for tomorrow's lesson.
"Sarah?" The Goblin King stole her attention away from Adele. "I am curious about how your fingers were cut."
"It was only broken glass on the floor." Sarah told him before taking a small scoop of the soup.
The Goblin King ignored his food. "What did you break?"
"It was the glass cover for my oil lantern." Sarah answered. She kept her eyes on her food as she spoke. "It fell off my dresser as I was getting ready for bed."
"Ah…I see." He no longer sounded interested.
Sarah looked up from her food and saw him staring off. "Sir?" She asked hesitantly.
The Goblin King looked back at her immediately.
"When you warned me not to wander into the labyrinth at night was it because there are dangerous creatures in there?"
"There are many creatures in the labyrinth," He informed her "and some will harm a mortal girl like you. Why do you ask?"
"I broke the lamp last night because I saw something outside my window." His face remained still, but his eyes darkened. "It screeched at me, and scared me so I knocked the lamp off the dresser by mistake. I wasn't sure it was real until I saw the scratch marks on the walls outside my house."
"Thank providence it did not enter your home." Jareth said in a quiet voice. "Do you remember what it looked like?"
"Not much." Sarah said straining to stretch her memory. "I only recall that it had sharp teeth."
Adele looked up from her food. "Did the beast wish to harm Ms. Sarah?" She asked Jareth while soup dribbled down her face.
"Most likely." The Goblin King answered. "I can learn more about this being during today's lesson."
"How?" Sarah wondered.
The King rose from his chair and leaned over on the table. "If you are both done I can show you." Adele had finished her meal, and Sarah ate about half, but it was enough to satisfy her. They rose and followed the Goblin King out of the castle and into the labyrinth. He led them specifically to the peach grove where he and Sarah first met.
"Sarah, sit under the tree there until I need you." Jareth told her. "Adele I want you to listen and pay close attention to me." He knelt in front of Adele in the center of the grove while Sarah watched from the sidelines.
"I am going to teach you a beguile spell." Jareth said to Adele. "This spell will be useful to you when you need to influence the will of a human. You must do as I am doing right now, you must hold steady eye contact and focus your will entirely on the person before you. Focus on what you want them to do, and they will do as you desire, but this is a gift that is not to be abused." He warned her. "I will demonstrate how to do this on Sarah."
Sarah figured that she would be the test subject when he said 'influence the will of a human.' However, she also guessed he would be using it to help her remember what she saw outside her window last night.
The Goblin King stood and went over to Sarah and knelt in front of her, and gestured for Adele to stand at his side.
"Sarah," He said directly to her "I am only going to influence you to remember what you saw last night, alright?" Sarah nodded. "Good, then let's begin."
He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them to look directly into Sarah's eyes. Sarah felt nothing at first, but then she began to notice the longer she stared at him the harder it became to blink, and after a minute it became impossible. Panic was starting to rise in her mind, she felt like she was trapped. She wanted to run away from him, but he refused to let her go.
"Relax Sarah." He said softly. "You are not in any danger." He reached a hand out and stroked the side of her face. "Lean your hand into my palm and just rest."
Sarah felt her head drop off into his hand, and her eyes shut at once. All the senses in her body suddenly vanished, and she was only aware of his voice.
"You will hear everything I say and you will answer all my questions." His voice said to her. "Say yes Sarah."
"Yes."
"Good, now tell me what happened when you entered your room."
"I turned on the lantern first. Then I changed into my nightgown, and started to put away the green dress."
He chuckled deviously. "Tell me, did you like the dress I gave you?"
"Yes, but I probably didn't store it well enough to prevent wrinkles though." She said getting off track a bit, although the Goblin King initiated it.
"Don't worry about that." He told her. "You've put the dress away, and then what do you see?"
"I see a face, and its staring in at me from the window."
"What does the face look like?"
"It's a woman's face, a beastly woman. Her hair is long and tangled. I can't see the color of it."
"Don't worry about that. What else do you see?" His voice pressed.
"Her teeth are all pointed, and are as white as porcelain. Even though it looks like her lips are covered in muck."
"What else is there?"
"Nothing." Sarah said finally. "She screeches at me, and then it is completely dark, but I still hear her. She's scratching the walls." Sarah felt her fear from last night again. She remembered trembling quietly in the dark.
"She's not there Sarah." The Goblin King's voice reassured her. "You're safe here with me."
Her fear disappeared, and she felt the memory of last night slipping away.
"It's time to wake up." He told her. "Do you feel me pinching your face?"
Sarah felt a small pain on her cheek and grumbled opening her eyes to see the Goblin King and Adele staring at her. Her eyes nearly shut again, she felt exhausted. Even her body still felt out of reach from her. She slumped against the tree.
"Wonderful!" Adele cried jumping up and down excitedly. "Let me try! Let me try!" She begged.
"Not today." Jareth said to Adele. "Sarah is too tired now for your attempts to be called a genuine success." Adele pouted but did not cry. "You will try tomorrow afternoon, and Adele, I will not allow you to use this spell on Sarah when it is not practice. Only under my supervision are you allowed to use this spell. Understand?" Adele nodded firmly. She would not risk angering her master.
"Good girl." He told Adele. "Now, let's take care of you." Jareth picked Sarah up and carried her back to the castle with Adele following by his side.
"You carry her like a bride!" Adele teased.
Sarah did not feel embarrassed. She could not stand on her own yet, so she felt thankful that he was helping her.
"If you wish to be silly Adele, then go and play by yourself." Jareth ordered as they entered the castle. Adele huffed and ran off to her room followed by two goblins to watch her while the Goblin King took care of Sarah.
Sarah saw that he was taking her to the study where they had tea together. The fire in the hearth was lit again, but a couch was in place of the chair she sat in and he laid her down on it gently.
Sarah sighed. "Why can't I move yet?"
Jareth fluffed a pillow behind her head. "The spell weakens the human as a fae uses it on them." He answered. "There is no risk at all to the human; it just makes them very tired after the spell is complete." He went to the door and called for a goblin to bring a pot of tea.
"When will I feel normal again?" She asked as he came back and sat in the chair across from her.
"It may be awhile." The Goblin King answered. "When I need your help when teaching Adele this spell I promise you a free evening to rest afterward."
Sarah suddenly felt very fortunate to be here with the Goblin King. Karen had never treated her kindly at all. Any ill feeling had to be ignored while Sarah worked, or else Karen would punish her by not feeding her. It was the reason why she was so skinny now, and it was probably and added cause to why she felt so weak now.
"Sarah?" The Goblin King sounded alarmed. "Are you alright?"
Sarah did not understand his meaning until she felt a warm tear slip from her eye. She managed to lift a hand to wipe it away.
"I'm fine." She told him. "I was only comparing you to my previous mistress." Sarah explained. "You are…much kinder than she ever was to me."
Jareth watched her face more closely now. "Who was your last mistress?"
"My stepmother." Sarah told him. "My father passed away after my younger brother was born. From that day on I was made into a nanny to look after him, while she did whatever she wished." Sarah giggled suddenly. "There were so many times I wanted to wish my brother away so we could both be free, but I never did." Sarah admitted to him.
"What made you wish to come here?"
"My brother was going off to school, and I was going to have to stay in the house and serve Karen for the rest of my life. I couldn't stand the thought, so I wished for a new job where Karen could never find me."
"And here you are."
"Here I am." Sarah rejoined.
They were silent then, allowing the crackling of the fire to fill the space between them.
"Sarah," The Goblin King began saying "I need to request something from you."
"What is it?"
"The creature you saw last night." He brought up. "I worry that your little home won't be much of a defense from it. I would…rest easier knowing that you are safe within the castle walls at night."
Sarah was about to speak but he stopped her.
"I know you are fond of your little house, and I will allow you to use it during the day, perhaps as a classroom for you and Adele. I only ask that you stay in the castle at night."
Sarah thought about it for a moment before saying "That sounds like a reasonable request."
"Thank you." Jareth said looking relieved. "I will have your chamber ready for you tonight."
Sarah nodded and felt herself drifting off. Sleep was pushing her deeper into a warm darkness, and she struggled to push it off her. The weight of her eyelids was eventually too much, and so she fell asleep on the sofa.
When she opened her eyes again Adele was now in the room with her and the Goblin King. She was seated on the arm rest of his chair; his arm was wrapped around her as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He was reading a story to her from a book in his hand. Sarah listened in as he read aloud.
"-And so the fairy princess fled from her betrothed and her life in the Underground to start a new life in the Aboveground with the mortal man she truly loved. She married her true love, and they were soon gifted with a beautiful daughter. Unfortunately, the princess' betrothed found her again, but before he could take her back to the Underground she fell ill, and died. Although she was able to live a life with her husband and daughter her spurned fiancé brought misfortune into the life of the young daughter. Soon her father married a cruel woman who cared nothing for his first child, and when her father and stepmother had a second child-."
"This story is too sad!" Adele complained. "I don't want to hear it anymore."
The Goblin King scowled at her and shut the book loudly. "I feel sorry the family that will inherit you!" He said with feigned annoyance. "You are the most difficult child to please."
Adele smirked and hopped of the chair and went over to Sarah. "Ms. Sarah is awake!" Sarah sat up, glad to be fully awake and moving, and allowed Adele to climb into her lap. "Tell me a happy story!" Adele asked her.
"A happy story?" Adele nodded. "Well…" Sarah paused trying to think of a story that would please Adele. "Once upon a time, there was a young maiden. She had a younger brother who she cared for very much, but they had a very cruel mother who gave them so little to survive on." Adele's eyes widened and Sarah felt confident she had obtained the young girl's attention. "One day the young maiden took all the food she could find and ran off with her young brother into the forest."
"Why a forest?" Adele wondered.
"Because if she had gone into the town the townsfolk would have brought the maiden and her brother back to their mother." Sarah answered. "The maiden and her brother wandered in the woods for three days before they ran out of food. It started to become cold and they were becoming hungry again. The maiden was afraid, and she did not know how she would protect her brother now. She looked up at the night sky and saw-." Sarah's mind went blank then.
"A white barn owl in the branches." The Goblin King entered the narrative saving Sarah's story.
"Yes," Sarah continued. "There was a white barn owl that watched them from its perch in the trees. The maiden spoke to the owl and said 'Oh guardian of the forest, save us from our plight.' The owl flew off and the maiden and boy fell asleep. When they awoke they found a pile of red berries before them and they feasted till they were all gone. The maiden looked up and saw the owl in the branches watching over them. She smiled at the creature, and begged that it come down so she could thank it. The owl swooped down and landed on her arm. The maiden stroked the owl's soft feathers and gave it a kiss."
Adele gasped happily. "Will he turn into a prince?"
"Even better," The Goblin King entered the story again "He'll turn into a King."
Sarah could see his arrogance was leaking into the story, but she went along with it. "The owl turned into a handsome King who offered himself to the maiden, and promised a place in his kingdom for her and her brother."
The Goblin King knelt in front of the pair on the sofa and finished the tale for Sarah "And the maiden accepted, and she and her brother lived happily ever after. The end."
"Ah…" Adele sighed. "That was much better." She yawned suddenly, and Jareth grinned picking Adele up from Sarah's lap.
"Time for bed you little rascal." He said. Jareth looked at Sarah and held out his free hand. "Come, I will take you both to your rooms." Sarah took his hand and they were transported to the hallway outside Adele's room. Before the King could speak again a hoard of goblins came rushing to them shouting "Majesty! Majesty!"
"What is it?" He snapped at the goblins.
"The wild woman is in the castle!" One cried out.
Jareth eyes narrowed. "Sarah, take Adele." He handed her over quickly. "Kelpie," A lanky goblin with a long nose stood erect "Take Sarah and Adele to Sarah's room down the hall, the second one on the left." He explained. "Lock them inside and stand guard. The rest of you come with me." They hurried off in the opposite direction while Sarah was taken to her room.
"Are we in danger?" Adele asked worriedly.
"We'll be fine." Sarah reassured her. They reached her room and Kelpie practically pushed Sarah inside before locking the door. "We'll be safe as long as we stay in here." Sarah did not want Adele to worry, and fortunately Adele was so tired she fell asleep quickly after Sarah undressed her and placed her in the queen size bed that sat in the corner of the room.
Once Adele was settled Sarah examined her new room in order to not worry about the wild woman in the castle. It was a cozy room, in her mind it was quite lavish, but to someone like the Goblin King it was probably considered a simple room. The bed was next to the window with a cushioned sill to sit on and look out from. The other window on the other side of the same wall had a similar sill too. There were small steps that led up to it, and there was a small bookshelf on the wall adjacent to it. Some of the books from her room were already there as well, but since she only had a few the shelves remained mostly empty.
The mahogany vanity and matching armoire were welcomed gifts. She opened the armoire and found the soft green dress already hanging inside. Her plainer dresses were folded in the drawers of the armoire. She was thankful he had not replaced them. If he had she would have found his generosity to be far too excessive.
The separate washroom within the room was the one thing she was most thankful for. During her time here she had to use the public washroom for goblins, and it was a place she would not miss. There was enough privacy for her, but not enough cleanliness. She did not know how she could thank the Goblin King for all this.
Sarah thought he might shake off of her thanks, and say it was his obligation to provide room and board for her. She was an unpaid subordinate after all, but she felt that he did not see her as his subordinate. He almost seemed to act like a friend to her.
The only other friend Sarah had in her life was a girl named Helen. They met a year after Sarah became a servant to Karen. Helen was the governess in another household that also had a baby boy, and so she and Toby came over often for play dates, while Karen socialized with the lady of the house.
Sarah would always swear that Helen was a saint. Helen was always calm in the face of abuse from her master and mistress. Helen helped Sarah to remove the frustration she was feeling towards her own situation. While the boys crawled on the floor Helen would listen to Sarah as she vented about her life. She would listen calmly to Sarah, and then she would answer all of Sarah's frustrations with advice. The one piece of advice Helen gave her that stuck forever with Sarah came on the night Helen passed away.
Helen developed consumption, and Sarah and Toby stopped visiting the home for fear of catching the disease. Sarah often sneaked off at night to go to Helen's home, and ask a servant for news on Helen's condition. After returning one night from doing this, Sarah awoke from her bed in a panic and ran back to the house bare foot. She did not know why she woke up terrified, but she knew she had to see Helen before the sun rise. When she came she demanded to be brought to Helen's room, and the servants obliged her.
When Sarah saw Helen for the first time in weeks she realized she would never see her again after this night. Sarah started to cry and she lay by Helen's side in her bed, and let Helen comfort her.
"Sarah," Helen began. Her voice held all the strength she had left "Listen to my final words and hold them close to you for the rest of your life." Sarah nodded. "In your life you face obstacles, some you are facing now. Do not ever give in to your anger. Anger and hate is the base form of all sin. Any action that comes from it is wrong, and any reward you would receive from it will not last. Only those with calm demeanors with strong wills to resist wicked temptations will be rewarded in the long run." Helen paused to allow it all to sink in. "Remember that, and we will meet again in heaven to reflect on our lives. Our life together, and then your life as you created it."
Sarah felt happy in that moment. Imagining them meeting again in heaven and talking together as old friends. She promised herself there and then that she would live a good life to tell Helen about when they met again, and for the most part she had. She raised Toby to be a well-mannered boy, but now she wondered if Helen would approve of her new life in the Underground. Sarah gave into the temptation to wish, but Helen always said one day they would leave their homes for a new place. They just had to look for job notices. Sarah laughed thinking she accepted a job notice from another world with just a wish.
A rapid knocking on the door made Sarah jump, falling out of her flashback and back into her new room. The door opened and Kelpie stuck his head in and said.
"The situation is settled now miss." He informed her. "Majesty also says Adele will stay with you tonight, and he wishes you to hold onto key." He handed it to her.
"Alright." Sarah said happy that she would be able to rest easy now. "Goodnight Kelpie."
"Night miss." He shut the door quietly and left it unlocked.
Sarah dressed for bed and extinguished the lights in her room. She lay down in the bed beside Adele and watched the full moon drift slowly past her window until sleep began to pull on her. When she did fall asleep she slept only for a minute before the creaking of her door woke her.
Sarah turned over and saw something, a soft light peaking round the corner of the door. It looked like a light from a candle, but before she could see more the door shut itself again and she heard the sound of feet scurrying away. She left her bed and headed for the door and opened it quickly and looked to see if the light was still nearby.
The hallway was dark, apart from the soft light of the moon that came in through the windows. Sarah detected the faint smell of smoke, similar to the smell left behind from an extinguished candle. She would have returned to room satisfied if she had not heard a noise down the hall.
Sarah looked back at Adele asleep in bed and decided she would take her room key and lock Adele inside while she investigated. She clutched the key in her hand and went down the hallway and until she reached the end of it where there was window and entry to a spiral stairwell. On the ground before the window was a candle stick, part of the base was broken off, but she saw a small ember still lit on the wick, nearly gone.
Sarah still smelled smoke here, and she looked toward the stairwell and wondered if someone had wandered up them. The stairs only went up so she followed them up quickly until she reached the next floor. Sarah turned and looked down the next hallway, and she saw a great orange light behind an open door at the very end of the hallway.
The smell of smoke was stronger now, and Sarah feared the worse as she ran down the hallway and entered the room. It was a bedchamber, and the drapes of the four poster bed were on fire. Sarah coughed in the smoke filled room, and was about to leave again to fetch help, but then she saw that the bed was occupied by someone asleep.
It was occupied by the resting Goblin King.