She stared at the wall as a spider crawled in between the cracks of the gray bricks. She jumped slightly as Audra knocked on her door. Sarah didn't move. The knocks grew louder. Then she could hear Audra try to open the door. Sarah smiled slightly to herself. She sat up and eyed her barricade. It was marvelous. Crates stacked upon boxes and other assortments kept her locked within her room. Audra banged on the door more hectic this time. Nope, Sarah didn't budge.
She had lost count of the days, but she hadn't left her room in a while. She told Audra she was sick and couldn't be around the children for fear of spreading her disease. Audra bought it without telling the king. Then, just last night, Sarah decided her prison could become her tomb.
She couldn't do it. Answer to some arrogant king, eat food that may or may not kill humans, have no friends, existence other than that of with children. No, no, no. Jareth had broke her, taken everything from her. The one thing that was hers, that gave her peace of mind, he destroyed.
And lately she had been thinking about her family. Mostly Toby. He was almost five and half now. He wouldn't even remember her. What a pity.
She brought her knees to her chest and the knocking stopped. No, she wouldn't eat today. She wouldn't eat anymore. What was the point?
Jareth, naturally, was watching her be morose. He found it quite humorous she thought putting boxes in front of her door could keep him out, but he wasn't in a hurry to prove her wrong, considering how he was getting over his anger. He put the orb away and went back to his paper work sitting on his desk. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what Sarah would think of the fearsome Goblin King doing office work.
"Your highness?" Called Audra from the doorway.
He looked to her bothered with her interruption. "The lady Sarah hasn't come out of her room for sometime now."
Jareth sat back. "Yes, I'm aware. Let her be if that is her wish."
"But, Sir, I am quite worried about her state. She is having a melt down—"
"Enough, Andrea." Jareth retorted. "I have other matters to attend to rather than the angst of a teenage girl."
The Goblin stamped her foot before replying, "AUDRA" The King gave her a glance. "As you wish." Then she left.
It was only a matter of hours before Jareth made a decision about Enyo. And, he thought it would be fun. That was the best part. Paperwork was growing more gruesome than ruling goblins.
He took a breath before appearing within Sarah's room. She looked at him from her window.
"Go away, Jareth. I don't feel like playing with you today." Her gaze fell back to the window where she was wondering of Hoggle and Ludo.
"Sarah." Jareth stopped himself from saying something stupid. "Just a walk. Come along."
"No, thank you, your highness." She smiled at him, a forged, fake type of thing that didn't even try to touch her eyes.
"It's a shame you don't have a choice." Jareth's voice was unmoving, deep, and laced with a dark challenge—the kind he usually reserved for those who would attempt to tame his labyrinth.
Some how she knew he was going to loose this fight, and didn't really care to drag it out. She stepped toward him then. She leaned into his shirt. "Fine. Take us wherever."
The rush of water pounded in her ears and her breath was gone. The feel of coolness rushed her around and into a strange place of her mind. Panic. A feeling she hadn't felt in a while, coursed across her bones. She was drowning. She tried to swim, but her legs couldn't seem to be working against the current. She opened her eyes, but only darkness greeted her. Her chest was growing heavy and she was low on energy.
Swiftly, she broke the surface. Her hair flung from her face to her back dripping while her clothes clung to her skin. She floated for a moment catching her breath before opening her eyes. She realized she had been tossed into the fountain with the statues of mermaids and fairies. When she reached the edge she pulled herself up reflecting on the deepness of the fountain.
"Feel better?" Her captor asked before her.
She smiled and leaned up to him, batting her eyelashes. Then she splashed a huge stream of water into his face.
He sighed before pushing her in the fountain again backwards. He waited till she popped up once more to speak to her. "I'm the king Sarah. I always win. Don't take it personal." He had moved further away from the fountain now, so she couldn't reach him.
"Did you just say you always win? I can recall a time when you failed big time." She stated leaving the fountain a dripping mess.
"Now, that was uncalled for. You've soured my mood." He dried his face with his magic.
"Oh, fuck you." Sarah said rolling her eyes.
Then she did something he didn't quite expect. And because he was given no fair warning, he couldn't look away. So, he watched with a heart growing faster and his breath getting ragged, as Sarah pulled her wet shirt off her body. She flung it to the ground and stood in her red bra and skirt. She eyed the skirt around her waist for a moment before deciding she would try to ring it out as best she could while it clung to her.
She finally looked up to Jareth when her skirt wasn't dripping. Yet, Jareth hadn't noticed. He was quite busy taking in the curves and patches of skin he was being shown. Ah, the bend of her back, the bulge of her breast, the indention of her stomach. All so lovely. He wanted to touch and feel and kiss.
Sarah cleared her throat, enjoying the attention she was receiving. "I don't have any dry clothes."
Jareth looked back up to her. "Well, I have magic Sarah. I could have fixed that without you becoming undignified."
Sarah snorted. "Jareth, you seeing me in swimsuit attire is the least of my worries."
At that, Jareth came close to her as if he were challenged. Least of your worries? His hands taking her sides. "But have you not heard the term tease Sarah?" He watched recognition light her eyes. "So, you have heard of it? Kings don't like to be teased." His hands found her naked back and glided to that 'bra' strap.
"What are you doing?" Sarah whispered feeling her legs almost slip out from under her. The contact, his breath on her face, his eyes burning into hers, it was all too much. Her head pulsed.
Jareth caught himself. He was giving into a side he usually saved for those special fantasies of his. But he was hers. Had always been, even when she said she didn't want him all those years ago. He was still her slave. And how he wanted to give-in and give her everything. This feeble mortal, he would give the world to.
His hands tightened on her back as sigh escaped her mouth as her eyes closed. She's not fighting. All he had to do was lean forward. No part of his body argued. His eyes began to also close, his lips beginning to breech the space between them. His hands bringing her closer…
But then, last second, he saw something.
It was a strange shape on Sarah's right side. "What is that?" He asked, his curiosity exceeding his personal needs. Later, he would assume this distraction was for the best.
"What?" She looked around, but then followed his eyes to her side. He forced her to turn so he could gaze at the large marking stretching from under her bra to the folds under her skirts.
"We call them tattoos." Sarah stopped her voice from shaking as he traced a finger up and down it.
"But what is it?" He moved closer realizing what it was as she said it.
"A labyrinth." She swung away from him grabbing her shirt off the ground. "Oh, and yes."
"Yes, what?" Jareth asked his mind still lingering on her darkened side.
"Yes, I do feel better." She slipped the wet fabric over her, hiding away her pale skin. Jareth was annoyed in the back of his head with how the collar didn't come low enough for his taste.
He noticed her face again. It had taken a serious tone despite her wet clothing and dripping hair. "But, you can't expect me to live like this and survive."
Jareth began walking down the path, expecting her to follow. "Exactly what manner of living are you speaking?" He turned back around to face her, seeing she hadn't moved. He waved his hand in the air and instantly she was dry. He watched with a strange feeling as Sarah's hair picked up in the wind.
"Oh please, Jareth. I realize you mean this to be torture." She angled away from the wind.
Jareth swam in his thoughts. Yes, that's what he had meant it to be. In the end, he wanted to break her. He wanted to see her wreathing before him. . . at least, that's the way it had been. That's what he had told himself. But upon seeing her weakened, suicidal form, perhaps that wasn't what he wanted. And that left one question left.
What did he want?
Since he wasn't speaking, Sarah spoke again. "Sure, I can go on for maybe this week, possibly the next month, but in the end, I have nothing here. I have no friends or family—I have no one."
Jareth resisted the urge to tell her differently. But you have me. He let a smirk grace his face to hide what he was really thinking.
Sarah continued. "Jareth, I'll go crazy. I wasn't made to live like this. Is this what you want? A shell of what I once was."
"Join me Sarah. I must walk before I have to return to work." He held out his hand to her. Not a gesture of love or companionship. They both know this. This was Jareth threatening Sarah with his power. They both knew he was showing her not to talk so to him. Oh no, never to talk to a king like such. He was bored of her dramatics. Surely, she was overreacting and crying for attention. She was still so young, but she hadn't changed much.
So, Sarah promenaded the valley with her captor. She watched serpents with legs scurry across the paths, birds with treasure chests as bodies drop coins, and goblins spraying for fairies.
Of course seeing goblins spraying for little creatures only made Sarah think of one thing. As her eyes scanned the area,
She saw him.
At first she wasn't sure, but then she was when she noticed a large, furry creature next to him.
"Hoggle!" She screeched. She spun looking for Jareth, but he wasn't by her side. She decided to think about it later and ran to her former friends.
"Hoggle, Hoggle! It's me Sarah!" She said almost out of breath. She was concerned with how he was ignoring her.
"Sah-rah?" Ludo said in front of Hoggle. The little goblin turned to face her.
"Yeah, I know who she is." He let his eyes find her. "Don't forget Ludo, she forgot us." He spit on the ground before moving onto another bush.
"But Hoggle, you know I love you." She followed him and Ludo. "And I love Ludo too."
"Sah-rah make Ludo sad. Leave Ludo by himself." The creature slumped his shoulders.
"And don't you forget it!" Said the Goblin squirting a little fairy intensely.
Sarah grabbed Hoggle by the shoulders and made him face her. She bent down to his big eyes, and over sized head. "Hoggle, I'm so sorry."
The goblin watched her for a moment. Then he turned back to spraying. "Well, maybe I don't accept."
Ludo looked from Hoggle to Sarah. "Ludo Sad." Ludo explained again.
"Hoggle, please. Please forgive me." Sarah looked sadly into the goblin's big eyes.
Hoggle dropped his repellent. "Oh, Sarah." He gave her a gentle hug. "I missed you."
"Oh, dear. How I've missed you too."
And so the little group sat in a small circle while Sarah told them the story of her family moving, of her acting going down the drain, of her college years filled with homework. She didn't mention drugs. She didn't want to deal with their judging faces. It was enough with Jareth knowing about her addiction. When asked why she was in the Underground, she told them she had hurt her head and wasn't sure what she was saying, and ended up with Jareth.
"Be careful Sarah." Hoggle said as the sun was beginning to set. They had walked her back to the castle. "Jareth hasn't been very nice while you were gone."
"When was he ever the nicest guy?" Sarah smiled as she gave Hoggle another hug.
"No. Worse." Said Ludo.
Sarah wiped off their comments after saying goodbye and went into the castle.
The pair didn't explain to Sarah what they meant by worse which bothered her, but not enough to worry her too much. They explained she better keep in better contact and not to let Jareth push her around.
She walked up to the castle's door after giving one final wave to the pair and met Flogray.
"What do you think of trashing the kitchen?" His eyes were wide and excited.
Sarah knelt down eye level to him. "Sounds like a plan."