Jareth couldn't tell if Sarah was toying with him or if she was just trying not to fall in love. Either way, it was breaking his heart. Why did he have to fall in love with her? Why was he so desperate to love and be loved? He was used to being alone. He was used to not caring for anyone, but himself. Now Sarah wants to stay and fight with him. There is no logic behind it. If he gets slain, then there is nothing that can be done. Her help won't do anything.

It was fifteen minutes since he kissed her and now he was just sitting on his throne, not knowing what to do with himself at the moment. Annoyed, he summoned a crystal in his palm and glared into it as an image of Sarah, Hoggle, and the beast were wondering through the Labyrinth. He didn't know what they were talking about, but by the way she was laughing, she seemed… happy.

"I can't make her fall in love," he lifelessly murmured to himself. "Especially if she doesn't want me." He wrapped his gloved fingers around the crystal into a fist and it disappeared.

Then a grim thought came to mind.

What if she is toying with him? What if she is purposely trying to get his hopes up? What if she does want to make him suffer? She says she'll make up her mind when the war starts and if she does go, it was just a cruel trick. Of course she wouldn't stay. She has a family and what woman would stay in the Underground when she had everything she wanted in her own world?

Sarah was much crueler than he thought…

Either way, he'll just forget that it ever happened and just turn away. Besides, his kingdom was on the brink of war– There was no time to romance. An army of at least hundred was going to be at the Labyrinth's gates and he didn't even stand a chance since he only at least seventy. He was still not going to surrender, but it will be a bloodbath.

A distant grumbling was coming up the stairs, causing him to roll his eyes– Knowing exactly who it was.

"Your Majesty," an annoyed Altha called as she entered the room with her blue dress dragging on the floor. Her yellow eyes were narrowed, irritated. "I need a guard to get another cat for me. I'm running low on stitching."

Jareth lightly pinched the bridge of his nose. "Certainly you can get that."

"Oh, yes. Silly me." She started to hobble away. "C'mon, 230-year-old legs. Let's look for cat gut."

He took a deep breath and lightly closed his eyes. "Wait."

The alchemist slowly turned to him with a smile.

"I'll send a guard on the search," he looked at her, unamused. "But really, I have better things to worry about than stitching."

"Yes, like a war."

He bitterly turned away, trying not to think of her.

"Oh," Altha slowly began in realization. "That's not worry on your face, King Jareth– That's disappointment."

Jareth closed his eyes, hating when the old hag does this because she "knows him better than anyone else in the kingdom." He opened his eyes, trying to ignore her.

"It's the woman, isn't? You love her."

"Don't you have stitching to worry about?" He dryly asked.

"You don't think she loves you, do you?"

Frustrated, he stood up and started to briskly pace in front of his throne. "She is driving me mad and I don't know if she actually means to do it or not. I understand she has a family to return to, but she doesn't tell me upfront that she doesn't want to be with me or not. She has me always guessing! I have forgotten about her for fourteen years and now she is back, she wants to stay until the war, but I don't know if she will even leave then." He stopped in his tracks, trying to remain calm as his mind was rushing with feelings about the woman. How he just wanted to kiss her again…

"Do you want her to go?" Altha calmly questioned.

He snapped his gaze to her. "I want her to be honest with me! When I even kissed her she just left." He released a breath, slowly shaking his head, looking away as his heart was slowly turning to stone. When he had kissed her, he thought for sure that she was going to stay. She had let him kiss her!

"Jareth."

The cold tone in the healer's voice made him look at her.

Her yellow eyes were stern like a grandmother's. "Don't lose your heart. I know how you are. You have been hurt too much and I know eventually that heart of yours will become numb– It will change you for worse." With those words, she turned away, and left.

When Sarah returned to the castle with Hoggle after 45 minutes of being out, her heart was still heavy. She had lightened up while she was with her dear friends, but now it was time to return to the castle and if she ran into Jareth, she didn't know what would be said. She assumed that it would be like that nothing had happened between them, but she knew that their hearts would be yearning for one another. She knew that he loves her and she loves him– Yes. Loves him. She finally accepted the fact since she allowed him to kiss her, but she still has to return home.

Not wanting to think about it, Sarah just acted as if nothing had happened.

Until another training session came an hour later.

Since they have trained for three days now, she was starting to foreshadow his next move as did he. During a heated, twenty-minute match, Sarah refused to give up as her mind was made– She was going to stay and fight. She was going to fight for the Goblin Kingdom, fight against the elves, and fight at the Goblin King's side. If she wasn't going to be with him, then she was going to at least fight along side him. This kingdom will not fall!

With a swing of her arm, a loud clatter was heard, bringing her back to reality and her eyes grew in disbelief as she was staring at a tip of a sword. Panting for air, she glanced to her right, seeing her own iron sword reflecting the sunlight on the ground seven feet away.

"If this was war, you would've been impaled without hesitation," Jareth coldly stated, chest heaving for breath, then snapped his sword to his side. "Try again." He stepped back, allowing her to retrieve her sword with his heavy gaze locked onto her.

Fear him. Love him. Do as he says and he'll be my slave… Sarah thought as she picked up her weapon. How can anyone make him into a slave? Did he mean that he would actually do whatever he can to please her? He would give her his all and possibly everything if it meant having her love in return? She returned to him, ready for another match. She didn't fear him, but she loved him. She won't do what he says and he won't be her slave. If she were to be with him, it would be real love.

The warrior-to-be faced the blond king, readied her sword, and looked him in the eye. How those unique eyes can be so mocking…

No.

He would never be her slave. He would be her lover and she would fight at his side. The Goblin King would be nothing but her lover because no-one, not even Sarah Williams, can make the Goblin King into a slave.