Disclaimer: I don't own this song!
No one can blame you
For walking away
Too much rejection
No love injection
Jareth's voice echoed off the stone walls of the Escher room. He'd been singing joyfully to himself ever since he was sure he was out of Sarah's earshot.
The grin on his face was so big it hurt his cheeks.
She's here! He kept thinking over and over. She's here to stay!
He moved swiftly, flipping under a ledge without a care, and walking upside down to the archway ahead. In the blink of an eye, he'd gone through the opening and reappeared through another on the opposite wall several feet below, this time walking sideways. After three steps, he flipped over another ledge to his right and hurried through the entrance at the top of the stairs.
Without a single break in his stride, the Goblin King proceeded down the black-stone tunnel before him.
A few sparse torches provided a pathetically small amount of light along the dirt path, but Jareth's owl-like eyes saw every detail of the passage. Besides, the goblins liked their quarters this way: dark and dirty.
The tunnel opened up into a large circular room with four small, grey curtains placed evenly along the wall. The curtains concealed the goblins' actual bedrooms. In between the curtains were wooden racks holding flails, spears, knives and various other weaponry.
A cluster of about sixteen goblins were huddled around the far left curtain whispering excitedly. They hadn't noticed their visitor.
Slipping his king-persona into place, Jareth cleared his throat and the goblins shrieked in surprise, tumbling over themselves as they all tried to bow respectfully at once.
"You there!" He barked, pointing to a goblin with pale orange hair. "Come here to me!"
Yes, perfect! He thought as the little goblin approached obediently. She'll take excellent care of my queen.
"Y-yes, yer Majesty?" The goblin asked in a timid, scratchy voice.
"I trust you've heard the news about our new arrival?"
"Yes, s-sir."
"Good. As of this moment, you are being transferred to her personal service. You'll find her in the guest wing. See to her every need and show her to the dining room this evening for dinner."
"Oh yes, yer highness!" The goblin female squealed, bouncing up and down and flashing her crooked, yellow teeth in a delighted smile. "Right away an' thank ya sir!"
She then bolted down the main tunnel, cackling with glee.
Jareth couldn't help laughing himself. He'd never felt so wonderful! He had another chance!
She's here! My beautiful, precious Sarah.
No words could describe the pain he had felt when she'd uttered those six terrible words to him fifteen years ago and barred him from her life. The hurt and confusion had threatened to consume him. Everything she had wanted, he had done. He'd given her a taste of her dreams, offered her a kingdom and his heart and she'd not only refused him, she'd renounced him! The one and only woman he'd ever loved in his centuries of existence wanted nothing at all to do with him.
He remembered how he'd been too weighed down with despair to fly after returning her and Toby to the Aboveground. He had perched in the tree outside her window and watched her mess about her room, aching with want.
Then, as she spoke to the dwarf, she'd said it:
I don't know why, but every now and again in my life, for no reason at all, I need you. All of you.
Hope had exploded inside of him at her words.
All of you.
She had included him, unconsciously or not, she had kept their connection!
He could have materialized in her room with the others at that point, but he opted to keep his distance. By that time, he knew she still had a lot to learn about the power of words.
She's just not ready yet. Give her more time. He had told himself as he took wing into the night sky.
There was nothing he could do but wait. He waited for fifteen years until his sacred opportunity had arrived.
The Goblin King looked up suddenly to see the fifteen remaining goblins staring at him warily. No doubt they thought he was going mental, seeing him space out like that.
Noticing the his shift back to focus, the goblins all chortled nervously, hoping to break the awkward tension, but Jareth only rolled his eyes in amusement and spun on his heel, making his way back down the tunnel and through the Escher room continuing his song:
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene
A crystal moon, ah, ah
Once Jareth reached the throne room, he conjured a crystal and tossed it into the air above his head where it popped into a shower of glitter.
As the sparkling cloud covered him, he mentally pictured his destination, and instantly he was standing outside the Labyrinth's perimeter wall where a familiar figure was leisurely spraying fairies, blissfully unaware of the new presence.
"Hello, Hoghead."
"GAAAAAAHHH!" Hoggle screamed, whirling around with his hand to his chest. His spray gun dropped to the sand.
"Y-y-yer Majesty!" The dwarf gasped in surprise. "You startled me."
"I know." Jareth chuckled.
He honestly didn't have anything personal against the little scab, but Hoggle was just so jittery that Jareth found it impossible not to mess with the fellow. His reactions were just too entertaining!
"I want you to come to the castle for dinner tonight."
"You-you do?" The fairy-exterminator gaped at the Goblin King in shock.
"Yes. And bring Sir Didymus and the Yeti."
"What for?" Hoggle asked, suspicion coloring his tone.
Jareth smirked inwardly and tilted his head at the dwarf, schooling his expression to appear devious.
"Tell me, Higgle-"
"Hoggle"
"Yes, have you ever wondered what the Bog water tastes like?"
Hoggle went pale.
"Then I suggest that you stop asking stupid questions and do as I tell you."
"Yes sir!"
"Dinner is at seven o' clock sharp. Don't be late." Jareth ordered coldly and trying not to break character.
"Oh we won't, yer Majesty! In fact, we'll be early!"
"See that you are."
Jareth then tossed another crystal and teleported back to his throne room. Exiting through the main door, he headed right in the direction of the kitchen, wanting to have a quick word with the goblin cooks about tonight's menu.
Perfect!
Everything was falling into place.
He hoped Sarah would like her surprise. He knew it had been some time since she'd seen her three Underground friends.
He wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to love her life in the Labyrinth. He wanted her to finally see him in a new light and understand how he truly felt for her.
How he truly loved her.
Things are going to be different between us this time, Sarah-mine. I swear, now that I have forever to earn your heart. He silently promised.
It's only forever
Not long at all
Lost and lonely
That's underground
Underground
A/N: Wow, this chapter was a lot of fun to write. Jareth's just that awesome. This chapter is dedicated to black-heart-green-eyes. Review my lovelies and I shall update soon!