Chapter Four:
She half expected Jareth to torment her and rub in her face that he had been right and she had been wrong. She had put too much faith in her stepmother and her ignorance would be her undoing. Would staying in the Underground really be the worst fate? her subconscious argued as she stared the Goblin King down.
Instead of being cruel, Jareth frowned in what she dared to believe was a sympathetic manner. Neither spoke, they just stared at each other. A growing sorrow wedged between them through the silence. He didn't need to speak; Sarah knew that he pitied her.
"What happens to me now?" She asked, her voice resonating with the dejection that had seeped into her soul.
"Now we see your friends."
Her eyes snapped up to his, every fiber of her being screaming out in a mixture of happiness and shock. All of this time in the Underground had been overwhelming and all she wanted was to wrap herself in the embrace of those who understood her. She needed the people who had saved her the last time she had faced this magic place. Sarah's heart filled with a gratitude she never could have verbalized. Her lips parted, about to thank him, when the doors burst open to reveal the large shaggy creature with an affinity for rocks.
"Sarah!" He called, his voice as gruff and terrifying as she remembered it. He stumbled forward, his lips pulled into a smile. She was sure it looked like a snarl to anyone who didn't know the lovable creature.
"My lady!" Sir Didymus cried, bouncing into the room on Ambrosius' back. The dog lapped around her ankles, jumping up to get her attention and almost knocking Sir Didymus to the ground.
"Hello!" Sarah giggled, patting the dog affectionately on the head. "I can't believe you're here!" Her eyes filled briefly with tears she wouldn't let fall in front of the Goblin King. She wouldn't show him her weakness. Instead, she engulfed herself in them, one hand knitting in Ludo's fur and the other wrapping around both Sir Didymus and Ambrosius.
All of her fear and desperation melted away to the soft humming of the large creature's happiness.
Slowly her eyes scanned the room, her smile fading almost slightly. "Where's Hoggle?"
"Right here."
Rising to her feet, Sarah's eyes landed upon her greatest friend and her constant companion in the Labyrinth. As dark as the circumstances of her last visit had been, they had brought her to some of the greatest friends she could ever ask for. The goblin stumbled forward as Sarah fell to her knees, engulfing all of her friends in her arms.
"You're alright?" Hoggle asked, his brow furrowing as he threw a mixture of anger and confusion in Jareth's direction. "They ain't hurt you or nothing?"
Sarah shook her head, still fighting back the tears that overwhelmed her. "No, they've been kind." She admitted, still shocked. This was not the King of the Underground that she remembered.
"Humph." Hoggle huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot expectantly. "Why are you here?"
"My step mother wished me away… Like I did to Toby." Sarah admitted sadly, brushing her bangs from her face. "I'm not sure she'll make it through the Labyrinth alone."
"We'll help her!" Sir Didymus offered happily.
"Yeah, we'll help her!" Hoggle agreed with a lopsided grin.
"No, you will not."
Every set of eyes turned to the Goblin King. He stood with an irritated line etched into his forehead and a scowl upon his lips.
"We's wont?" Hoggle asked, confused.
"You disobeyed me once, Hogwart, when leading Sarah through the Labyrinth. You will not be doing it again." Jareth almost growled.
"It's Hoggle." Both Sarah and Hoggle chimed in unison.
Jareth waved his hand dismissively. "Your stepmother must fight her own battles and brave her own demons. She can find her own allies as you once did."
Sarah frowned, fear and rage and sorrow all etched into her furrowed brow. "I want to be alone with my friends." She stated defiantly, teetering dangerously upon the edge of insanity. She wanted to cry, wanted to cling to her friends and be consoled. But she would not be weak before the Goblin King.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Jareth stared at her with deep soulful eyes, his gaze begging her for something… She just couldn't figure out what. "As you wish."
Teleportation in the Underground was crude…. Or maybe it was the Goblin King was toying with her senses, punishing her for her obstinacy; she wouldn't have put that past him. He seemed the kind of man to enact little revenges when his pride was wounded.
She stumbled slightly, grasping at the post of the large mahogany bed as she fought to catch her senses. She felt like she was drowning, her head held underwater as her body struggled to surface.
"My lady, are you alright?" Sir Didymus asked, placing a hand upon her and gazing up at her with large nervous eyes.
"Sarah?" Ludo called, his loud moan of a voice echoing off the stone walls.
"I'm fine." She spoke through gritted teeth, shaking the fog of teleportation from the recesses of her mind.
"He's toying with you." Hoggle stated, huffing in what Sarah assumed was agitation. "Teleportation shouldn't bother you that much. Not if he doesn't want it to."
"I figured as much." Sarah sighed, gently lowering herself down onto the edge of the bed. "I can't believe you're all here." She finally released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head, allowing her bangs to hide her soft features. The tears that had been pooling in her eyes slowly began to slide down her cheeks.
"Sarah?" Hoggle spoke softly, peering up at her with wide and anxious eyes.
A wail rippled through her, her hands flying up to cover her face. Her body shook, the tears staining her jeans as she wept.
Her friends exchanged anxious glances. This was not the Sarah they knew, not the Sarah they remembered. She had stayed so strong through the Labyrinth the last time. She had been brave and courageous and had kept herself together. They were not used to her tears.
"Please don't cry, my lady." Sir Didymus cooed, crawling up onto the bed beside her, gently patting her arm. Ambrosius whined, placing his head in her lap and licking gently at the tip of her elbow.
"I'm not getting out." She mumbled between her sobs. Over and over again she repeated those words as Ludo and Hoggle joined in attempting to comfort the inconsolable girl, unaware they were being watched.
Xxx Jareth xxX
This was it.
The moment of truth. The exact moment he had hoped to avoid. The crystal danced between his fingertips, reflecting the image of Sarah's huddled form as she sobbed silent tears. He was grateful he could not hear the sound of her wailing… watching, however, was bad enough.
He had broken her, destroyed the strong spirit that he had found so endearing the last time she had ventured into his domain. This was the curse of the Goblin King.
Anyone he let close became wounded or broken or worse. He destroyed all things he craved, and maybe that was why he devoted himself so dutifully to his work. He protected the wished always, provided for them and cared for them until the thirteen hours were up. Then he sent them on their way to be loved and cared for by other mythical creatures… creatures that had hearts and would not suck the little ones into his endless disaster.
He had been too late for Sarah. He had clung to her too tightly.
"She'll make an interesting Fae."
Jareth only nodded, acknowledging the second man who stood before him.
"Her emotions would make her a dutiful servant to your greatness."
"I do not seek to control her." Jareth spat, never taking his eyes off of the small girl in the glass. It looked as if her sobbing was slowing, but her body showed every sign of fatigue and emotional distress.
"Do you hope her runner succeeds?"
"Of course not." Jareth huffed. "The child deserves better than the family who would degrade her as they have done."
"Does she know about her brother? Does she know what happens to him if her runner fails?"
Jareth said nothing. He stared into the crystal with contemplative eyes.
"You should tell her. It may grant the child peace."
"She needs to choose this for herself." Jareth answered, closing his eyes and using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. As silence spread between them, he watched Hoggle lower the small girl back upon the mattress, tucking one of the puffy pillows beneath her head.
"She's cried herself to sleep. You should go to her."
"Her friends will comfort her." Jareth countered.
The man laughed, a taunting sound. "We both know you don't believe that to be good enough."
"Not for her." Jareth answered honestly.
"And if she chooses to remain here? If she accepts the magic of Fae?"
"It doesn't matter what magic she chooses." Jareth breathed, watching as her friends curled respectively near her bed, vowing their silent protection to the slumbering girl.
"You'll pursue her." A statement. Not a question.
Jareth said nothing.
"I see… that's where you've been going."
Without another word, Jareth vanished, leaving behind only the crystal he had been watching.
Through the glass, his companion watched the King. With a wave of his hand, Sarah's companions succumbed to unconsciousness and the two were left alone. Quietly and gracefully, as if floating, he crossed the distance between them and brushed her bangs from her pale face. With a wave of his hand, a blanket covered her body and the candlelight dimmed.
"You've been visiting the human world all this time?" His companion asked as Jareth reappeared in the throne room.
Jareth merely stared down upon him.
"But she refused you?"
"Enough."
"Do you honestly believe she will rise to the occasion? Do you think a mere child, not born of Fae blood, could be an appropriate Queen?"
"My mother was not born of Fae blood." Jareth countered, waving dismissively at his friend and reclaiming his seat upon his throne.
"Your mother was sickly every day. Being Queen takes much more than Fae magic!"
"Sarah has been immersed in Fae lore all of her life. I've saturated her in my magic every night since the first time she entered the Underground." Jareth shrugged.
"You knew. You knew her mother would wish her away."
"I suspected." Jareth shrugged again.
"You kidnapped her!"
"I did no such thing." Jareth hissed, his eyes widening in rage. "The vile woman now trapped within the walls of my Labyrinth wished her away."
"You are walking a dangerous line, your majesty."
"I did not seek your counsel, Farnig."
"But as your friend I give it." Farnig countered. "IF you had continued to bestow your magic upon her… if she had reached maturity and slipped from your grasp forever… She would have died, Jareth. Your magic would have suffocated her."
"I would not have let that happen."
"And if she chooses to return? If she decides she wants to be human? Her options are not limited to the Underground, Jareth. If she forgoes her memories she could choose to return to the mortal realm. She will die." Farnig frowned.
"Then don't give her that option."
Farnig opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by the tolling of the bell.
Both Fae watched as Sarah bolted upright on her bed, brushing the dried tears from her eyes. Another hour had passed.
"I cannot keep a choice from a wished away, my Lord. No matter the cost." Farnig stated, his face impassive.
"Then persuade her. Make her choose Fae." Jareth practically begged.
Without another word, Farnig vanished.
Author's Note:
First off; I would like to apologize that it's taken so long for me to update. I promise that this isn't my normal. Between full time work and full time school and a ton of vacations planned from September through November, things have been really hectic. I hope you all choose to stick with me! I promise good things are coming.
Sarah gets to meet Farnig next.
Second; I've gotten a beta reader! She's one of my roommates and an avid reader herself. It just made me feel a bit more comfortable using someone I know... and I get to sit in the room with her while she reads and watch her reactions... Seeing her read the line about Toby and the very last line in this chapter really fluffed my ego.
I hope you continue to enjoy!
Much love;
Kaasuten