Chapter Six

Jareth completed the last of the official correspondence and flexed his writing hand. Now, to finish his response to Sarah. He wasn't overly concerned about there being a delay in her receiving his answer. He would simply alter time so that she received his response in a timely manner.

One thing he knew for certain. He had to apologize for the Peach Incident. Apologize profusely. What really chilled him when reading Sarah's words was when he had realized that she could have chosen never to contact him again, heart-bond or no, and if not for Sir Didymus…

I owe that crafty little fox a great deal, and no mistake.

It certainly explained her fear of him and her utter refusal to even speak about him for all these years. Heart-bonds were extremely difficult to break, but it could be done, especially if one of the partners commits a heinous act. To Sarah, the Peach Incident counted as a heinous act, and he felt sick when he thought about how close he came to never seeing her again. It was a miracle, really, that she hadn't severed their bond when she'd left him. He suspected that the only reason she hadn't was because she didn't know what it was.

I'm surprised that Hoggle didn't tell her… but then, if he'd betrayed me on that level, I might well have executed him for it. Which he knows.

The added complication was that although she forgave him for it, she was still going to view him with some measure of suspicion from here on out. He could never give her any kind of food or drink item, certainly. He would have to be incredibly careful to never make her feel threatened or unsafe. How he was ever going to convince her to come to the Underground, he really didn't know.

Further… she first became subconsciously aware of the heart-bond during the Peach Dream. Since she had been under the influence of the enchanted peach at the time, she would not trust any of the feelings that she experienced during that incident. The bond was very real, but she would never accept it as such, because she thought it to be a product of enchantment and not the spiritual link it actually was. He had no idea how he was going to overcome this obstacle.

He must have started his letter to her about five different times, tearing up each one in frustration. What to say? How to proceed?

Just speak from the heart, his conscience whispered. She will hear you.

He took a deep breath and began to write.

Sarah rolled over and punched her pillow with a huff. Tippy cracked her eyes open briefly, mumbled something, and pulled the blanket over her little head. Sarah looked over at the clock. 4:30 a.m. and still she can't sleep. She must have changed position twenty times, threw her covers off only to pull them back on at least ten times and looked through the door over at the vanity mirror every five minutes.

What the hell, Sarah? she thought to herself. What were you thinking?

She'd gone and done it. She'd written to the Goblin King. It seemed like such a good idea. It made sense. Why not clear the air? What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, plenty.

Maybe he didn't get the letter. Maybe… he wasn't home or something and Sir Didymus left it for him, but it got eaten by an Ughlánas before he returned, and…

Sarah groaned, "Yeah, right, Williams." She looked at the clock again. 4:35. She'd punch her pillow again, but she didn't want to disturb Tippy.

Okay, so really, what's the worst that can happen? He reads it, decides to come kidnap you and take you Below as his sex toy.

That would be bad. Sort of. No, really… it would be bad.

He reads it, gets filled with white hot rage and swears revenge.

That would be worse.

He reads it, tosses it away and never thinks of you again.

If she were being truthful, this is the one she dreaded more than the other two, probably because it was the closest to reality. She didn't know why, but the thought that he could forget her was… painful. Then again, if he'd wanted to forget her, would he allow her friends and the Ughlánas to visit her so regularly? Sir Didymus didn't think so. But if he hadn't wanted to forget her, then why didn't he ever try to contact her?

Um, I don't know, maybe because he's a king and has better things to do than talking to a brat?

That was probably the answer, although lately she had begun to wonder if by saying those last lines of the book, she had somehow prevented him from even speaking to her. It wouldn't surprise her. She was always opening her mouth in situations where she should have just kept it shut. Then again, she wasn't sure how she would have reacted if he had made the effort to get in touch with her.

She looked at the clock again. 4:45. Finally giving up, she slipped quietly from the bed and wandered into her kitchen, flipping the switch on the coffee maker. She didn't have class until 10:30 today, so it looked like it would be a long morning ahead.

Silently padding into the bathroom, she took a quick shower, drying off briskly and getting dressed in an old pair of sweats and an oversized T-shirt. She came out of the bathroom, mumbling to herself, looked through the doorway to the hall and then froze.

On the vanity, propped up against the mirror, was an envelope with what looked to be her name on it. The bottom fell out of her stomach.

He'd answered.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

Sarah stepped closer. It was too dark to make out what color the envelope was, but it looked to be of some kind of classic paper, almost like a vellum or what you'd find in a calligraphy set. Speaking of calligraphy, her name was scrawled in an elegant, but masculine script.

She must have stood there for another few minutes, just staring at the envelope, before finally reaching out to pick it up. It was heavy, several pages she would guess.

No way can I do this without coffee, she thought. She took the letter with her into the kitchen and forced herself to put it down long enough to pour a cup of coffee. She turned on the small kitchen light, knowing that Tippy would sleep right through it.

As she took a large gulp of her morning brew, she exhaled softly, then lifted the envelope. She sniffed it first and picked up that intoxicating scent she'd always associated with Jareth…cinnamon, spice, and magic.

God, I didn't know how much I'd missed this, she thought as she breathed it in deeply. Finally, she examined the little wax seal that was a duplicate of the symbol she had seen on his medallion. Carefully prying the seal away, she opened the letter and began to read.

Sarah,

I cannot tell you how delighted I was to receive your letter. As you can imagine, I do not often receive news about our former runners, much less that they are doing so well.

Sarah hadn't thought about it that way before. After all, what method could they use to drop him a line and let him know how things were going, assuming they even wanted to?

Wait… he was delighted? Sarah felt her lips turn upward in a smile of joy.

I would like to address the issue of the peach first and foremost, as it seems to be the primary cause of your anxiety about communicating with me.

Yes, yes, it is. Let's get it out of the way, shall we?

As Sir Didymus stated, sending you the enchanted peach was indeed standard practice, a trick to shave time off a runner. That it could be used to facilitate violating you in some fashion had never even occurred to me.

While Sarah believed that… it should have occurred to him on some level.

It should have. I am aware of similar tricks perpetrated by the Fae, and I am rather ashamed of myself for not making the connection immediately.

Aha.

Words cannot express the self-loathing I felt when you told me how this episode affected you. On behalf of myself and the entire Goblin Kingdom, I most humbly and sincerely apologize. I promise you that this tactic has been abandoned and it will never, ever be used again. I cannot say that I will not find another means to drain time from a runner, but you can rest assured that it will not include involuntary sedation.

Sarah felt an enormous weight lift away from her heart. He knew exactly where she was coming from, and he wasn't angry at her characterization of the incident… on the contrary, he agreed with her. He was sorry for what he'd done, so much so that he promised to never use that trick again, on anyone, ever.

Thank you for understanding. And your apology is sincerely accepted.

As for fearing my wrath at your success, while I admit that my pride was somewhat wounded by my defeat, I certainly didn't resent you for it, nor did I ever bear animosity towards you. It pains me to think that you have suffered this misapprehension for so long. Had I known, I would have taken steps to reassure you that this was not the case. It is entirely my fault that you did not feel safe enough to communicate with me in the past and I can only be grateful that you have taken the chance to do so in the present.

Sarah felt a twinge of regret. She really should have listened to Sir Didymus sooner. Hoggle, while he meant well, had so much animosity for Jareth that she wondered if he'd ever be able to look at him objectively. Probably not. She would have to keep that in mind in the future.

In truth, Precious, you are something of a celebrity here in the Underground. As I'm sure you know, you are the only runner to ever solve the Labyrinth and as such, you are much admired by the citizens of my realm. The fact that the Ughlánas take such joy in visiting you should give some idea of their affectionate regard.

'Precious'. Gah, for such a silly pet name, it sure did give her the tingles. Wait… he has a pet name for me? That's… sweet.

You have also proven to be an inspiration to some of the more adventurous beings here Below. The number of challengers to the title of Champion of the Labyrinth has increased exponentially since your win. Do not think that I blame you for this. If anything, I blame the arrogance of those who think that just because an adolescent human handed me my only defeat, that they themselves should find it easy. I am happy to report that none have succeeded, and you remain the sole Champion. It is a wondrous accomplishment, and I hope that you take pride in it. You certainly deserve to.

She was proud of it. It was probably the greatest accomplishment of her life, so far.

As you rightly surmised, it was never my intention to bring harm to you during your run. That said, your friends are quite correct, the Labyrinth can indeed be a deadly place. It was built not only as a testing ground but also as a defensive structure. It is sentient and can ascertain the motivations of the runners within, while I can adjust its lethality to match the situation. While the challenges you faced were very real, the penalty for failing them (at least in your case) was never physical harm. You were also correct in that I made sure to provide for you the tools to escape, should you have the wit to utilize them. Your ingenuity, while a source of frustration to be sure, was also a source of delight.

She could well imagine how much she exasperated him. Stomping her feet and complaining about fairness was probably the least of them.

I would also like to point out that a great deal of your success had to do with the qualities of compassion, determination, and loyalty that you possess. You alone were able to inspire my subjects to help you beyond what they were allowed. Do not discount the importance of these characteristics within you. They will serve you well.

Oh, that's just a really nice thing to say. Thank you, Goblin King.

I must say that it was pleasing to read about your journey of personal growth. While it was not the primary purpose of your experience with us, I am glad to hear that it had such a positive effect on you. It might amuse you to know that your run inspired some growth of my own. Being bested by an adolescent human has had the effect of bringing my considerable arrogance down a notch or two (and I mean this in the most complimentary way). I made the mistake of grossly underestimating you, a mistake I hope never to make again.

Hmm…a little ominous, that. A little thrilling too, to be honest.

As to forgiving you for your assumptions, you asking me for such forgiveness is not necessary. You could say that it was my 'job' to be your antagonist during your run. Such assumptions could be considered an occupational hazard of sorts. That is not to say that it wasn't somewhat painful to be branded a kidnapper, but it also wasn't entirely unearned. As you are willing to forgive me for the peach (which I do not deserve but am grateful for nonetheless) and for otherwise frightening you, I am certainly willing to forgive you for your less than flattering opinion of me. Perhaps from here, we might find ourselves in a place of friendship.

Sarah felt warmth rushing through her heart. He wanted to be friends with her! This was more than she'd even hoped for.

Toward that end, I would love to hear more from you. I understand that you are in your second year of university. I remember being told that you once considered the performing arts. Is this still the case? I look forward to hearing about your studies and your plans upon your graduation.

Ever your servant,

Jareth Danaaru, King of the Goblins

Dear God… I have a mythical, immortal, immensely powerful being as my… pen pal. This is going to be fun.