Sarah could never look at that simple, familiar, comfortably chaotic room the same way. She needed to regain control, or he would just dissapear, leaving her world upside down forever.
"Maybe you don't love me, but you still need me," she said standing tall.
The carpet was thin, the floor was cold. She hoped he didn't notice her standing on one of the laminated drawings. She really hoped the drawing wouldn't remain stuck to her bare, warm feet.
Jareth didn't laugh yet, allowing her some further explanation. He was probably dying to mock her by calling her duchess, or princess, or highness. She could tell.
"The boredom still consumes you; I can see it."
He couldn't deny it, but it wouldn't be so easy to intimidate him. He leaned on one of the walls, any would have served to the purpose as they were all nude, casually crossing his arms, misleadingly playful, like a cat.
"But I can find amusement in many other places, Sarah. Your collaboration has been inestimable in finding new... toys."
"You are lying," she stated.
The Goblin King was taken aback. For the first time, he seemed unsure, a bit uncomfortable in a world he barely step foot in. Sarah feared that if she wasn't quick and convincing enough, he could flee.
"You need a challenge; someone who can beat you. What interest can the game hold for you if you know from the start you will win?"
The question was met with silence. Sarah wondered if he could hear her heartbeat. For a moment, it was the only thing she could hear.
"I forgot how stubborn you can be," he ended up saying, his eyes focusing on a sketch depicting a young girl ready to do anything to save her brother. "It seems we're doomed to repeat our mistakes, aren't we?"
"Is it a deal?" Sarah had no patience for rhetorical questions.
He advanced again towards her. His tone was almost caring, but there was no compassion on his face when he said, "You still don't understand it, Sarah. You cannot win, unless I allow it."
"You didn't let me win last time," she retorted, "I deserved to reclaim Toby back. And you hated to lose, I know it."
She would have loved to be able to sit down on her sofa and command the room as easily as his majesty had done before, but she knew her own limits. Still, she wouldn't budge.
"Fine," but he was far from fine, he could barely contain himself, "There's no point trying to protect you. Expect no further favors from me. This time, we'll play by the old rules."
It was dangerous to press any point and that moment, but there were things for her that were non negotiable, and worth the risk.
"Before that, promise me you won't kidnap any other child for the rest of your eternity. Promise me," Sarah demanded.
The Goblin King gifted her a smile that didn't match their conversation. What was he hiding?
"Promised. And, I suppose there's no need to remind you of what will happen if you lose?"
Now that the worst part of the conversation seemed past them, she could almost shrug while saying, "There's no need. If I lose, I'll either die or remain trapped in the Labyrinth forever, lost within an illusion. Or I might end up rotting in a dungeon, of course."
Jareth nodded.
"Are you ready?" His manners were impeccable. He extended his hand, and she felt like in a royal ballroom, once again.
Sarah knew he was eager to leave, but there was still a second non negotiable matter to take care of.
"Just give me a minute. I need to get something," she said, moving past him without waiting for his permission. She wasn't going far anyway, what was needed was just on her desk, in front of her.
His majesty didn't block her path, and was gracious enough to allow her request with a brief gesture of his gloved hand. She knew there was only a reason for such sudden magnanimity – Jareth was dying to know what she could consider so important, in such a moment.
She could feel his gaze, while she opened one of the drawers and took out a thick book, tangled between papers and photographs. Dust had settled on its cover over the years, and she could feel it now on her fingertips. It felt good.
"A book?"
"The book," Sarah replied.
"The extended edition, I presume. Are you going to use it as a projectile against the Fireys?"
Jareth's laughter this time was warm and pleasant, making Sarah regret that his best side remained most of the time hidden from prying eyes. But she also knew that the Goblin King wouldn't be half as intriguing if he were nice and predictable. Even before she could finish that thought, she could detect the familiar hardness and perspicacity in his eyes. He was still waiting for an answer, yearning to know why she would take that book with her.
"You are not the only one entitled to keep dark secrets, Your Majesty."
He wasn't even fazed by her conceit, on the contrary; one would almost say his mood was excellent as he replied, "I think this game is going to be truly interesting."
Without further ado, the Goblin King swept his cloak, and the world of the Labyrinth emerged on one of the unremarkable, history-less walls of the living room.
Sarah froze, and Jareth, who had been carefully observing her, couldn't hide his disappointment.
"Are you scared?"
But Sarah didn't hear him, and was now smiling like a child, walking towards what had been the nothingness just seconds ago, but had turned into the entrance to a wonderful, enchanting universe.
"I had forgotten how marvelous it is."
It was true; she had believed she remembered the world of the Labyrinth perfectly – its smells, sounds, the vibrant colors of the sky and of the ground. But now she understood that her memory had been a pale reflection of the real thing. Sarah Williams at sixteen couldn't fully appreciate its beauty, youth easily takes everything for granted.
But Sarah Williams now could, and at that moment, her heart threatened to burst out of her chest, her hands trembled with anticipation of new adventures and surreal experiences – she was back to her Wonderland.
"I have been so lucky to not realize until now how much I have missed this place," she said while crossing over.
She was still barefoot, but she couldn't care less. She wanted to take it all in, even the roughness of the rocks under her feet. And the Labyrinth could provide anything you desired, anyway. Provide, and take away.
The Goblin King didn't mind being ignored that one time. The Labyrinth was his greatest pride, and seeing its intense power over Sarah was satisfaction enough.
"You seem to be greatly fascinated by the most beautiful and dangerous things," he remarked at last.
The comment momentarily broke the enchantment. She barely turned her head towards her world to reply, "But my fascination never stopped me from fulfilling my duty."
The Goblin King must have been reminded of something deeply unpleasant, because his tone turned harsh and brutal as he said, "Thirteen hours." And with that, he vanished.
"You're still wounded in your pride," Sarah said to the exact spot where she had last perceived him, although she could no longer see her world. "You didn't even give me the chance to reclaim the hours you stole from me last time. Not that I expected fairness from you, but if you had a shred of decency, you would have asked if I had any questions before disappearing."
She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out, knowing he wasn't there to witness it. Instead, she continued walking forward, towards the Labyrinth, with the strange feeling that she had been there only hours or centuries ago.
But the Labyrinth wasn't as welcoming as she had expected. Yes, the dark and irregular walls were not far, she was getting closer and closer, but Sarah had hoped for something else.
"Hoggle? Hoggle, where are you? I'm back!"
No response. She started to worry. Was Hoggle avoiding her because of Jareth? It was something she might have expected from the old Hoggle, but not from her brave friend, who had escorted her to the Goblin King's castle.
"Come on, Hoggle! You can't stay mad at me forever. You said you understood I had to grow up... Don't you remember that we're friends, Hoggle?" Sarah called out, her smile fading as she kept walking, feeling increasingly uneasy.
There was no sign of him, and even worse, she had to dodge the bites of clouds of fairies everywhere, that seemed to have invaded the area since his disparition.
"If you've done anything to Hoggle or the rest of my friends, Jareth, I promise you'll pay for it," she declared, entering the Labyrinth.
At that same moment, not that far away, someone sadly murmured in the Goblin King's throne room, "Sarah..."
The cavernous space was dimly illuminated, and Jareth, sitting comfortably on his throne, but far from relaxed, was trying to concede his full attention to the crystal ball between his hands. If only the interruptions in that sacred chamber were not that frequent, or that annoying. But to be fair, it wasn't usually that crowded.
"What do you think you're doing, Hoggart?" He was forced to ask when his patience ran out.
"It's Hoggle, not Hoggart," Ludo assisted.
The gentle giant was chained to the wall, not that far from the dwarf, equally chained. But there was not a lot the poor beast could do to help his friends.
The Goblin King ignored him.
"You have a question, Hobblert?" he asked without sparing a glance towards the small figure cruelly bound by multiple wide chains.
"I wasn't doing anything, Your Majesty. Absolutely nothing. I just thought..." Hoggle started to say.
"Can you honestly say that such an exhausting activity, thinking I mean, has ever been of any use to you during your existence? You betrayed your King," Jareth sentenced. Then, pointing to the other creatures captive alongside the dwarf and guarded by his goblins, he added, "All of you betrayed me."
Between all the confused protests against that grave accusation, a tiny voice sounded slightly more indignant than the others.
"I never betrayed Your Majesty!" a small worm proudly proclaimed.
"I couldn't take any risks; I had to rid the Labyrinth of any creature that might have unintentionally helped her. This time, Sarah has to learn the hard way that it was my generosity that allowed her to win our last encounter. Only my generosity and nothing else," the King concluded.
"But I never helped anyone!" insisted the worm.
"That's true," Hoggle chimed in as a distraction, trying for the tenth time to break his shackles. "He has never helped anyone in his whole life."
The worm nodded while smiling at him, grateful.
"Does anyone bother to listen to me?" Jareth roared. "I said I cannot afford any mistakes this time."
He expected no other thing than silence after that, but as usual, he was sadly overestimating his subjects.
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Sir Didymus spoke up, his dignity intact despite the disgraceful confinement. "What has my lady done to incur your wrath? Why have you lured her back to your kingdom after so many years?"
Jareth remained silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the crystal ball. Then, with an absent tone, he replied, "She betrayed our world. You all should hate her as much as I do."