Sarah's left wrist felt as though it were clamped in an iron vice. The world around her came slowly into focus. Glittering before her rose something splotched in white. As soon as the edges of her vision sharpened, she felt like a punch to the gut knocked all of the breath out of her lungs.
In front of her lay the gates to the Labyrinth, and to her left was the Goblin King, one hand locked around her wrist.
"NO!" she screeched, trying to wrench her hand from his grasp. She felt her tendons and cartilage crack and stretch as she pulled and yanked. He swiped at her with his other hand in an attempt to catch her by the arm, but missed. Sarah kicked his leg, procuring a stifled grunt from her kidnapper, but he did not let go. He yanked her towards him, spinning her in so her back was pressed against his front. He pinned her arms across her chest and wrapped his arms around her. Jareth held her so tightly, Sarah felt she couldn't take a full breath. She tried to buck him off of her and screamed as she leaned back against him, kicking her legs into the air. She tried stomping on his feet, but he squeezed her so tightly now, she really couldn't take a full breath. Sarah stopped struggling, and he loosened his grip enough for her to breathe, but he did not let go.
They stood there, both panting, pressed together like an invasive ivy smothering a tree. Sarah felt his arousal that dug into her back diminish as both of their breathing slowed.
"Now that that's over," said Jareth, still winded from both the struggle and the excitement, "shall we proceed to the castle?" His rhetorical sarcasm brought Sarah's blood to a boil.
The gates to the Labyrinth swung open. They were still covered with white, glittering flowers and old, dead ivy. It would have been an almost idyllic landscape, were it not for the eery silence that surrounded them. The buzzing of fairies was silenced as the little beasts hid from the tyrant of their land.
Hand ever clamped around her wrist, Jareth drug Sarah forward. He took a right as she had when she first ran the maze. As he pulled her forward, she stumbled, resisting every stride. Every step he took, she fought. Still, he drug her onward. She tried to pry his fingers away, but it did little.
Fighting accomplished nothing; Sarah looked ahead to scan the barren, colorless landscape. Dead foliage lay everywhere, a lifeless wasteland of sandstone and gray-brown wood. Suddenly, like a shooting star, a fleck of blue caught Sarah's eye.
"Worm!" cried Sarah! Sarah knew exactly where they were. This was where she had discovered the hidden passage—with a little help, of course.
This time, the worm was not waiting for her. Its tiny face peered out of its hole, eyes wide with fear. Jareth jerked Sarah to a stop; the worm was trembling, but he did not leave; his bottom lip protruded in a pout and his chin quivered.
"Now, where was that blasted door…?" muttered Jareth under his breath. Sarah seized the chance to break away from him.
"Help!" she screamed. Jareth immediately grabbed her and wrapped both his arms around her in a vice. "Heeeelllp!" she cried.
"Here…it is," Jareth said, struggling against Sarah's squirming. He drug her through the opening. Before they disappeared around the corner to the left, Sarah locked eyes with the worm, strands of her onyx hair covering her face. "Help," she whispered.
Jareth disappeared around the corner, dragging Sarah with him.
"But…I'm just a worm," whimpered the little bug, crawling timidly from his hole.
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Jareth released Sarah and pushed her on ahead of him.
Sarah stumbled, nearly falling this time. "You know, you're going the wrong way," she sneered.
"Oh, I think I know my Labyrinth better than you."
"Is that so?" snapped Sarah.
"Yes, yes that is so," sputtered a frustrated Jareth. Ahead of Sarah the Labyrinth passageway continued straight ahead. Several offshoots opened to the right, but Jareth did not take any of them. The Castle loomed over the maze like a solemn sentinel; even at a distance, the structure was impressive and ominous. Eventually the path came to a dead end and turned to the right at a sharp, ninety-degree angle. Sarah followed it, with nowhere else to go, and felt confusion as it bent to the left, effectually heading straight once more. The narrow corridor ahead of them now had several offshoots to the left, but Jareth didn't take any of them either; Sarah kept her right hand on the Labyrinth wall, receiving an occasional push from behind.
Much to her dismay, the castle grew larger; turning left at the worm had led them straight to the castle. Before she knew it, the corridor spilt into a wide courtyard in front of the castle gates. Sarah turned and tried to run past Jareth; maybe she could lose him back in the maze. But, he caught her by the arms. He spun her and slammed her back against the wall. The hard hit elicited a grunt from her mouth. Jareth eyes sparkled with pleasure. Sarah began to struggle, but she gave up with a whimper as Jareth began to bruise her arms under the force of his grip. He loosened his hold on her for a moment, only to strike his mouth at her neck like a viper. Sarah let out an involuntary moan as his lips assaulted her neck. He kissed and sucked and licked. Sarah's knees nearly buckled under the sensation of it all. No tender kiss was found here today; he practically bit at her with his lips, massaging her skin, her muscles, pressing deep into her neck. Sarah gritted her teeth but couldn't stop the pang she felt within her core. He nipped at her jawline and pulled away from her.
"There's more where that came from, precious. Now, be a good girl…" His right arm closed around her left wrist and he drug her forward to the castle.
The gates opened for them before they even came close. Sarah tried one last time to pry his fingers from her wrist, but it was no use. They crossed the threshold where a platoon of goblin guards awaited them.
"Your majesty," said the leader. His squadron stomped their heels in unison.
"General," said Jareth, coming to a halt. Sarah stumbled to a halt next to him. "I will be personally showing the Lady Sarah to her room. I am not to be disturbed. Alert the servants that, if I call them, they had better move quickly. Everyone be on alert; the Lady should want for nothing. Wait for my instructions."
Before the general could reply, Jareth and Sarah went up in a cloud of glitter.
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Thanks for all the reads! xo
