A/N: This next chapter has one of my favorite moments in it. Hope you love it as much as I do!
"Your majesty?" Sir Didymus inquired, breaking the early evening silence. "I am beginning to worry about Lady Sarah. She has been gone for quite a while. Time is dreadfully short; should we not get a move on?"
The trio hadn't stopped running blindly through the Hedge Maze until they reached a heavily wooded area past a dilapidated wall. Upon further inspection, Sir Didymus had deduced that they were back in the Bog forest and that the wall must have collapsed when the Labyrinth broke.
Once the girl, knight and Goblin King had caught their breaths, Sarah had wandered off on her own. Ordinarily, Sir Didymus would have insisted on accompanying her, but the intensity of the girl's heartbroken expression forced him to hold his tongue. Perhaps it was best to give the poor lady her space. After all, this truly was a time of mourning.
The fox wrung his feathered hat in his hands.
Poor Sir Hoggle.
Never before had Sir Didymus seen such an act of selfless bravery. The dwarf had risked his life to protect his companions and though it was a gamble he lost, the knight secretly hoped he would have a chance to be half as noble as his dear friend in the future.
So, for the last twenty minutes at least, Jareth and he had been sitting quietly in the growing darkness, waiting for Sarah to return, becoming more and more anxious as the seconds passed.
Finally, Jareth rose to his feet and tapped the ground in front of the knight once with his front leg before heading off in the direction Sarah had gone.
Taking the subtle hint, Didymus sighed and plucked an edible mushroom from the dirt. As he munched on the sprout, he silently prayed that his hunch about the Goblin King's feelings for Lady Sarah was correct and that said monarch would be able to provide her with the healing she needed.
Good luck, your majesty.
Sarah had walked aimlessly through the woods until she found a humble pasture. At the bottom of a hill was a meadow covered in Baby's Breath. A bubbling brook curved across the field.
At any other time, she might've considered this place enchanting.
The willow tree branches swayed in the breeze and the moonlight made it look like the tiny flowers were glowing.
But she was currently immune to the ethereal beauty surrounding her. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting here, hugging her knees and sobbing her eyes out, but she just couldn't find the strength to move.
The image of Hoggle flailing and whimpering in Mya's hold played over and over again in her mind.
Guilt crashed over her.
Deep down, she knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help feeling like it was all her fault. She should have been quicker. She should have saved him. Plus, she'd encouraged him; given him that sappy speech when he'd been ready to give up and now he was…
She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head against another wave of sorrow.
The crunching of leaves made her flinch in alarm. She gaped openly as a large, handsome white stag stepped into the clearing.
As the majestic creature sauntered towards her, she saw the blue and brown color of its eyes and immediately bit her lip in shame. Here she was, wallowing in her own self-pity and wasting everyone's time.
Fresh tears overflowed in her eyes. It felt like the whole world was falling down around her.
Unexpectedly, for whatever reason, a strange memory invaded her thoughts.
A song.
A familiar, bedtime lullaby revised as a love ballad. She could hear it as loudly and as clearly as she did in that dream-like ballroom.
Gazing helplessly at Jareth as he came even closer, she concentrated on the melody.
Soft as a rose petal, he leaned in and nuzzled Sarah's wet cheek.
There's such a sad love
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
Open and closed within your eyes
I'll place the sky within your eyes
Pulling away and minding his sharp, ten-point antlers, Jareth nudged his head under her arm, guiding her into a standing position.
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
A love that will last within your heart
I'll place the moon within your heart
Once she was up, he turned and slowly walked to a small shrub covered with blossoms at the base of the hill.
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
With a kick of his back leg, the blossoms came to life. The girl's jaw dropped as a flock of lovely butterflies soared through the air.
Falling
(As the world falls down)
Falling
Falling in love
She involuntarily gasped in delight as the butterflies swirled around her hair before disappearing over the treetops.
I'll paint you mornings of gold
I'll spin you valentine evenings
Though were strangers till now
Were choosing the path between the stars
I'll leave my love between the stars
Fixing her attention on Jareth again, Sarah watched as the buck scraped the grass with his hooves and made a sweeping motion with his antlers. Somehow, she just…knew he was beckoning her to him. Hesitantly, she made her way down the hill.
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
The instant she reached his side, the Goblin King reared up on his hind legs and bounded away. Sarah was completely unable to stop the giggle that burst from her lips as the deer pranced around the field like a spring foal. Momentarily forgetting her pain, she chased after him.
Falling
(As the world falls down)
Falling
Sarah's laughter rang like a bell in the night. She marveled at the bubble of comfort, happiness and hope growing inside of her. She squealed as Jareth splashed the stream water at her. Slapping a handful back at him, she imagined dancing with him again in that ballroom, only this time, they were alone…and she didn't run away. Joy and desire flooded her chest.
As the world falls down
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down
As Jareth evaded her for about the sixth time, Sarah stumbled over a tree root and felt something slip from her pocket. Turning around, she froze when she saw the vial of Fairy Antidote nestled in the flowers. With a trembling hand, she picked it up and examined the few droplets of liquid inside.
Where did this come from? She wondered. I thought Hoggle had-
She covered her mouth in horror as she remembered how Hoggle had squirmed beside her when they were hiding from the fairies.
He must've sneaked the antidote into my pocket! He-he knew he wasn't going to make out of there alive! He willingly sacrificed himself for us…he…he-!
She couldn't finish. The misery returned tenfold. She stood there, shaking and whimpering until something entered her line of blurred vision.
Something big and as bright as driven snow.
Instinctively, Sarah sprinted forward and threw her arms around Jareth's neck. She buried her face in his fur and cried heavily as he lowered his head over her shoulder to hug her back as best he could.
"Don't ever leave me, Jareth." She whispered, desperately.
The Goblin King pressed himself more firmly against her, tightening his embrace.
"Aw, how touching." A sugary voice sneered.
Jerking back, Sarah spun around to see Mya floating several yards away. She kept her hands on Jareth's back as he maneuvered himself between the girl and the Fairy Queen.
"I knew there was something going on between you two." Mya snickered. "So she's special to you, is she, Jareth?"
She shook her head with a haughty grin.
"My, my, how the plot thickens."
Jareth puffed out his chest and tilted his antlers at the fairy.
"Careful, soon-to-be ex-Goblin King." She warned coldly, tossing something at the pair. "It didn't end too well for the last thing to lock horns with me."
Ice shot up Sarah's spine and her stomach flipped over as a bloody clump of russet-colored hair landed at her feet.
"Although the poor beast was so frightened and lonely," Mya continued arrogantly, "he barely put up much of a fight anyway. He only managed to summon a few puny pebbles! Oh, and by the way, I have another update for you: I'm sure you'll be interested to know that that pile of shit you call Hoggle, died slowly and painfully, writhing in agony in a pool of his own bile."
Sarah had to bite her fist to stifle a wail.
"His blood did taste good." Mya licked her gleaming fangs.
At once, Sarah felt her anguish melt into something else. Her tears now burned with anger.
"Now I don't want to take up any more of your time." The fairy abruptly chirped, clapping her hands together. "Goodness knows, you're doing an excellent job of that yourselves, but before I go, I just have to show you my new trick!"
Extending her arms out in front of her, Mya twiddled her fingers and a shower of glitter poured from her palms. The sparkles whirled around like a cyclone, which eventually split in two and condensed into solids.
They looked like Rottweilers with cropped ears, but they were four times the normal size and they appeared to be made of some kind of crystal. They snarled at the girl and the stag.
"Aren't they adorable?" Mya gushed, petting their heads. "I call them: Diamond Dogs. I really do love your library, Jareth. So many new spells to make me stronger. Oh and don't worry, we'll talk more about your love life real soon, but right now, it's time for the hunt, puppies. Sick 'em!"
With a vicious bark, the Diamond Dogs charged. The flowers and blades of grass in their way were sliced clean.
Sarah and Jareth whirled around and raced up the hill to the trees. She could hear the mongrels' growling getting louder and louder.
They hurried through the woods to the spot where Sir Didymus was waiting patiently for them.
"What on earth is that?!" The knight asked, hearing the sound of something tearing straight through the brush behind his king and lady.
"Come on!" Sarah yelled, grabbing her friend and tucking him under her arm mid-step, just as the Diamond Dogs came into view again, cutting through the foliage like it was tissue paper.
When they soon rounded a nearby corner in the path, Jareth suddenly used his shoulder to push Sarah hard enough for her and Didymus to fall into a patch of tall grass. The hounds thundered past before she'd even had a chance to get her bearings.
Poking her head out, she saw the Diamond Dogs hot on Jareth's tail.
"My lady!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, wriggling in her grasp. "We must go after them! His majesty is heading straight for the fissure! Out of curiosity, I followed the path earlier while you and he were gone!"
Swallowing the dry lump in her throat at the new information, Sarah hurried to catch up as Jareth and the monsters vanished behind a thick cluster of bushes up ahead on the right.
Once she made it to the bushes, everything seemed to go in slow motion:
The stag skidded to a halt a mere foot from the chasm's edge.
The Diamond Dogs leapt for him, teeth and claws bared.
Jareth's body began to light up again so brightly, Sarah had to shield her eyes.
When the glare ceased, there was a canine yelp then a keening howl that grew more and more faint.
Jogging over, Sarah and Sir Didymus peeked over the edge of the chasm just in time to see Mya's creations hit the lake of Fairy venom with a tremendous splash. They whined and struggled in vain as they sank into the hissing, acidic fluid.
Jareth was nowhere in sight.
"Sir Didymus?" Sarah croaked in a feeble voice as she released the knight. "Did you see Jareth jump out of the way?"
"No, my lady." Her friend solemnly replied. "I did not."
A/N: Ya know the drill! Leave a review and if you guess what animal Jareth will be next, you get a sneak peek at the next chapter!