Sarah screeched in horror as the fireball flew forward across the distance between herself and Jareth, and her fear overwhelmed all reason or thoughts she might have had as the the orb drew closer. Then, recovering her bodily functions and common sense, Sarah sprinted away from the fireball and swerved to the left, hoping that it would hit the far wall where she had been seconds before. But the flame seemed to have a mind of its own, and it continued to follow her wherever she went without a moment of hesitation. It was if it was a remote controlled car that was following a child to school.
"JARETH," Sarah bellowed as she ran past him. "HELP MEEEE!"
The young woman prayed to every deity she could think of as she ran laps around the room, begging for the hateful magical fire to be extinguished. But no one answered her plea for help, and it seemed that Jareth was was enjoying her torture far too much to cease and desist, so she continued to sprint in a flurried panic while he observed.
The Goblin King looked on expectantly with a deep, thoughtful expression. He was obviously waiting for something to happen.
"Think Sarah," he finally coached. "Channel your willpower and use it to stop the flames."
"WHAT!?" She cried out breathlessly as she passed him for what felt like the hundredth time. But Jareth stayed quiet; apparently he felt that this advice was sound and that she could figure it out on her own. "Damn Goblin King," Sarah cursed silently. "The one time I actually 'want' his help he stands back and watches me suffer with fiendish glee!"
Sarah was sick and tired of stupid riddles and things that didn't make sense! She was fed up with cryptic messages and beating around the bush! If Jareth wanted her to do something why couldn't he just ask her, like a regular human being? Apparently being a magical psycho was something he wasn't willing to give up. No. No, Jareth thought that throwing lethal objects at her head was the best way of communication.
Well one thing was for certain, the second that Sarah figured out how to stop this thing, the high and mighty Goblin King was going to pay dearly. She would make sure that the bruises she gave him would match the blue streaks that ran the length of his hair. "Well at least I'm considerate when I plot out violence," she thought with humor. But that humor was very short lived, because of her overwhelming fatigue.
As frightening as the prospect of slowing down was, Sarah was undoubtedly getting tired and altogether losing her speed. And still the fire showed no signs of stopping it's chase. So the young woman did the only thing she could think of. Using her last burst of energy, Sarah dashed to the little pond that resided in the far corner of the Meadow Room and dived, headfirst, into the frothing water.
The water was surprisingly pleasant in temperature and as clear as the crystals that Jareth had offered her. So it was quite easy for Sarah to open her eyes and look up toward the surface of the pool. Above her, still shining as bright as the sun, the magical flame circled around the length of the pool, waiting for her to reemerge from the cool confines of the water. It was almost as if the element had a mind of its own. It was uncanny and honestly more than a little disturbing.
Sarah continued to hold her breath, but knew without a doubt that she would not last much longer. At this realization, the girl cursed Jareth for toying with her in such a way and urged her lungs to hold on for longer than usual.
"I shouldn't have said all those things at lunch, about starting over," Sarah huffed as she felt her chest begin to burn from the strain. "How can I learn to trust him when he's constantly doing over the top and untrustworthy things?"
Sarah was beginning to feel light-headed and she knew she would have to surface if she didn't want to drown. So stealing her courage, the young woman swam upward, breaking the top of the water with a loud gasp as wonderful oxygen filled her aching lungs and took several deep gulps of air. But as she did so, the fireball appeared directly in front of her and flew forward. Before Sarah could scream or duck back beneath the water, the vicious flames hit her square in the chest knocking the wind out of her lungs in a agonizing gush. And Sarah fell back into the water with the force of the hit, blacking out at the intensity of the impact.
Silently her still form sank into the glassy, crystal waters and knew no more.
"Awaken for me, Sarah. . . Don't leave me now."
The world was a blanket of black and gray and was made up of nothing but pain. . . Horrible pangs and aches in the most important areas, as well as some of the more . . . intimate ones. It was that voice. . . That strangely familiar voice. Not to mention the hands that were pound on her chest over and over again. . . It hurt beyond belief.
"Sarah, breathe," the voice commanded anxiously and once again Sarah knew it was a voice she knew well. It seemed to come from somewhere above her, but she couldn't be sure of anything when her body and mind felt like watered-down jello.
"Precious, can you hear me?"
Precious? Sarah frowned as the word struck a memory. She didn't like it when 'he' called her by those ridiculous pet names, and decided to remind him of just that. The young woman shook her head, which was more of a miniature flop than a shake and moaned as a jet of water spewed from her mouth. She coughed and gagged as she choked on the air that harshly invaded her lungs and felt the pressure on her chest being lifted immediately.
"Sarah," the voice cried in relief, and the girl felt a strong hand brush her cheeks. "Dearest, open your eyes."
"No," Sarah murmured hoarsely, her throat burned from her near death experience. As she said this, the girl could hear him chuckle.
"Very well, you don't have to."
Sarah sighed at this and instantly cried out in pain as her inflamed throat was pushed to its max. Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks as her body seemed to catch fire and burn to the point where she choked. The pain was nearly intolerable, and Sarah found that she couldn't breathe for several seconds. She must have swallowed a whole lot of water if her throat was in this bad a shape.
Sarah was wondering exactly how much when a hand encircled her neck. She gasped in fear but quickly realized that the touch wasn't meant to cause harm.
"Oh, Sarah . . ."
The girl stiffened at the tone and was surprised by the remorse she heard there. So, daring herself with curiosity, she slowly opened her light green eyes. The light was blinding, but after several seconds of blinking, Sarah got used to it, and the sight that met her made her draw in a shaky breath.
Jareth knelt over her, where she lay on the ground, with his hands cupping her head and gently stroking her neck and throat with a worried, mismatched gaze. And since he was hovering above her, the bright light seemed to frame the Goblin King in a ethereal halo. It was the most beautiful thing that the young woman had ever seen.
Sarah stared into Jareth's eyes steadily; those eyes that had haunted more of her dreams than she could count. One of the lightest blue, and the other of the deepest greenish brown.
Those eyes broke her heart as she remembered where she was and why. The events of the past two days came back to her like a fresh slap to the face and more tears fell free from her tired eyes. She mourned as the memories returned to her, and as her body continued to hurt and her dreams were once more abandoned. She felt so lost. . . So . . . So alone.
As soon as Sarah tears had turned into full-fledged sobs, Jareth had leaned down to her and with tender lips he had gently caressed her forehead before he moved his mouth to her neck. "I'll make the pain go away, dearest," he whispered comfortingly. "You have my word. I will do whatever it takes to make it right."
Sarah cried harder at this, and Jareth held onto her tighter than before, beginning to slowly lick her neck where the pain was at it's worst. At first the girl tried to fight his advances, scared of where it might lead. But after several minutes of it, Sarah felt her burning, sore throat become nothing more than a dull ache and her breathing became less labored. "His kisses," Sarah concluded in surprise. "He's healing me with his mouth . . ." It reminded her of her sheepdog Merlin. . . The movement was almost like a mother dog grooming her pup. It was innocent and yet at the same time not. . .
As Jareth continued to coat and groom her neck- which was a strange but not altogether unpleasant experience- Sarah closed her eyes again and relaxed into the caresses. She was too tired to fight him, and they both knew it.
Jareth held her firmly as he focused all his attention on a the last section of her neck, and to Sarah's utter shame and chagrin, she arched into him and moaned loudly when he gave her a particularly strong lick. Sarah's eyes flew open to regard the Goblin King, and saw that he was gazing down at her. "Here comes the incessant teasing and flirtatious smirk," Sarah thought with embarrassment. But to her surprise, it never came. He merely stared at her in a daze, his eyes following the blush that crept up on her pale cheeks, before he went back to his task.
When he had finished, her throat was feeling much better than before and when Jareth asked her about it, she told him as much. The Goblin King looked relieved and he brought her close into a hug. Sarah buried her face in his chest despite all her misgivings and let herself be comforted by his strong presence, as her sorrow consumed her.
Sarah cried, her heart breaking as she thought about what might have been. The young woman hated herself, wishing more than anything that she was stronger. But she wasn't. She was merely a girl who had gotten her wish and now regretted the consequences. She was the girl who blamed herself, because she knew that this mess was entirely her fault. No one but her had made a wish a year ago. No one else had called upon the Goblin King to take their baby brother away. But above all this, Sarah hated herself, for the little part of her that wanted to stay in the Underground. The small part of her heart that wanted to be Jareth's Queen. Everything the girl knew and believed was crashing down around her head, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. Toby, Tetra, her father, her home her school - hell her entire future - was gone. And it was all because Jareth had chosen her to be his. But why?
"Why me, Jareth?" Sarah sobbed quietly against Fae's white poet shirt, before looking up at him. "Why did you choose me?"
"Because I love you," Jareth said calmly, nuzzling the top of her head and planting a chaste kiss there. "The first moment I set eyes on you, I knew that you were the one. There was never a chance of me wanting anyone else."
"After everything that happened in the Labyrinth," Sarah asked in confusion. "After you knew that I was happy with my life? That I finally belonged somewhere! You took me away, because you love me?"
"It was never my intention to harm you," Jareth said quietly, obviously having several different times in mind. "And I wish more than anything that I could stop your suffering, Sarah."
"I was happy!" Sarah screamed angrily, hitting his chest with all the strength she possessed- which wasn't a lot due to her near drowning experience. "I was finally happy! And you took it all away!"
"I would give it all back to you, Sarah, but it is not up to me," Jareth answered. "In the end, your happiness is beyond my power. It is not within my ability to change hearts. Only you can make the decision to be happy and find your place in life."
"I want to go home. . .I can't find my way in the Underground," Sarah admitted dismally. "I'm lost. . . I'm confused. . . But if I am forced to stay, I can promise you one thing, Goblin King. You will come to rue the day that you made your choice. Because one day you'll realize the mistake you've made with me. . . I just hope it's not too late."
Jareth frowned at her words but was still kept his calm air and gentle touches which irked Sarah to no end.
"I will never regret what I feel for you, Sarah," The Goblin King answered sincerely. "I only pray that one day you will love me, as I love you. Stop fighting and let me be the Hero of the tale instead of the Villain you've come to paint me as. Give me the chance to prove myself worthy of your affection. Let me show you the man who loves you?"
Sarah heard the plea in his words and despite her anger, couldn't bring herself to outright tell him no. So she stayed silent and buried herself in his warmth once again, not wanting to think or feel anything else that would cause her such heartache.
Jareth held her close and didn't push for an answer. He knew that she would come to the discussion on her own terms, as she always had and always would. Sarah Williams had never been one to accept her fate. She was bound to make her own destiny and he would never be able to convince her to do something she didn't want to.
"I will wait forever, Sarah," the Goblin King whispered tenderly, as the girl sagged against him, exhaustion making her slump forward in need of sleep.
"I will always wait for you."
Jareth had cradled Sarah in his arms for almost two hours now, singing song after song, casting spells with each breath he took and holding her as she cried. And to reward his efforts, the young woman now lay limp in his arms, fast asleep and oblivious to the world.
The Goblin King looked down at the beautiful face of the woman he loved and felt repressed tears begin to leave his mismatched eyes. He had almost lost his Sarah. She had almost left him. . . again.
The fireball wouldn't have truly hurt Sarah, for Jareth had been controlling it the entire time. He had thought that if his precious love was forced to face something she deemed threatening, her inner magic would have kicked in and protected her. But once again, his Sarah had defied his logic and as a result had almost drowned.
When he had pulled Sarah out of the pool, she hadn't been breathing, and there was no pulse. The green dress she had been wearing, the beautiful frock that had so caught his eye had been ruined. Jareth had quickly ripped the velvet front off so he could do CPR, and had reeled at the sight that met him.
With the top of the dress out of the way, Sarah's chest was laid bare to him, seeing as he had ripped the dress the length of her neck to her breasts. Jareth had never seen a more luscious sight, and wanted nothing more than to nuzzle his way into the valley that waited there, but he fought his desires and got to work.
Jareth closed his eyes as his tears of fear and worry drained out of him, and knew that without the use of his magic, Sarah would most certainly be dead. There had been several moments when the Fae thought that he had lost her, but when she had finally spewed water half way across the room, his prayers were answered.
Now the Goblin King stood and carefully picked the girl up in his arms, doing his best not to wake her. After he had her securely, the Fae transported them to his chambers and laid her down upon his silk draped bed. Tucking the covers around her still form he felt his weariness return tenfold, but he fought it. He couldn't break, not now . . . not ever. He was the Goblin King after all.
Jareth's actions were always calculated, always planned, and yet where Sarah was concerned his steps were always matched. She was he equal, his mate and his chance to save the Goblin Kingdom. And thus, the pressure on him was raised. Nothing was simple, or easy. Everything was stake.
Kissing Sarah gently, Jareth left her in his sleeping quarters and stalked towards his study on the other side of the Royal Suite. He had many preparations to make if his beloved was to be ready in time for the Viviari Trials. He had to find a way to awaken her magic, and time was running short.
Jareth had to prepare his Sarah for what was to come, or she would die.