Chapter One
Sarah sighed, looking down at her purple-colored drink. It was some kind of berry cooler, the ice had melted long ago and she had been nursing the thing for so long over the last hour it had gone tepid but instead of tossing the thing, she just kept sloshing it around and staring at its contents, almost willing herself to melt into the floral wallpaper behind her and disappear. She didn't know why she let her friend Rachel talk her into going to these Halloween frat parties; they were filled with nothing but drunken idiots who wanted to find a dark corner of the room and bare themselves to each other. Disgusting. Why couldn't she find someone refined who loved poetry, the classics, and Shakespeare? She would rather be in the University library right now, studying for her philosophy test next week, but being that it was Halloween, Rachel had dragged her out of their dorm with promises of food, drinks, fun and games, all of which came with crowds of people which Sarah hated. The first chance she had got, Rachel had ditched Sarah for her boyfriend Sam. The two had gone upstairs earlier and Sarah didn't expect them back anytime soon. Rachel had probably left her for the night, Sarah was well aware of her plight and sat there trying to decide when a good time would be to call a cab to go home without looking ungrateful to their hosts, Sam's fraternity brother, Charles.
She picked at the hem of her short black skirt, an outfit borrowed from a classmate, black as a witch she looked, with her pale, pale skin, her long black hair and her deep green eyes. She scratched at the strap under her chin of the pointy hat she wore and looked around the room. R.E.M.'s 'Losing My Religion' blasted throughout the house and she bobbed her head in time to the tune, her thoughts on her brother. They had become close as he had grown, she loved seeing his enthusiasm in the simple science experiments he was learning in first grade, seeing how colors changed using water and food coloring and what happens to water when it freezes. He would collect anything he could now, twigs, toads, flowers, rocks, Miss Bennetts's garden tools next door, to see if he could finagle any experiments at home. Her stepmother, Karen, was at her wits end with all the mud that would be tracked into the house and all the failed experiments she had to clean up after. Sarah only smiled at the thought, missing him terribly. She would have to call him later this week to hear his voice, even if it was only for the 2 seconds he could stand to be on the line before he rushed off to children's things.
Yes, children's things. She remembered when things were simpler, when she could play with her dolls and trinkets and pretend she was in a world where she never felt lonely. But all that had changed after…well…now things were just…different. Life for her had gone on as normal and Toby remembered nothing of their adventures, but she…she remembered everything. Every. Waking. Detail. His mismatched mercurial eyes still haunted her dreams, his smile with the wickedly sharp unhuman teeth, his long legs in those skintight pants. Sarah hated how her body betrayed her desire as a warm flush spread throughout her belly. Why? Why did it always have to be him? Why since the very day she left the Underground could she think of no one else? Even now, though she had seen no one from the Underground after that fateful night, she could still think of no one else. No boy could ever seem to hold her attention like he did.
She hated him for it. Hated what he had done to her, what he had made her become, but even more so, she hated herself for it. She sighed and swished her drink. How could she feel this way about a man who ran a kingdom full of miscreant little gremlins? He had kidnapped her brother, put her in an oubliette to die alone, tried to murder her with the 'cleaners', made her eat a rotten peach to manipulate her into having feelings for him and then tried to murder her again with the ax-wielding gate guard. The man was an impious, wicked, churl. If he was even a man at all. Thinking on it now, she wasn't sure what he was, the goblin king. Did that make him a fairy? A demon? A demigod? She didn't know anything about him, except for the fact that he liked stealing children to harass prepubescent teenagers when they were home alone.
Sarah huffed in annoyance.
What was it about him that was so fascinating? He had not told her much when she had seen him those few times in the labyrinth, but she had noticed then and over the years he was very careful about the words he chose to speak. If she had learned anything from her time in the labyrinth it was that words held power.
"Say your right words." She whispered to the cup, staring it down, trying to see anything in the liquid, willing it to change into something else. Anything else but this boring, mundane existence of frat parties, long sleepless nights of study and friends begging her to go out and be something she was not. She almost regretted those awful words she had said to him in the end. Still, she turned up her nose at the thought, he was a cad. An awful…being…whatever he was. He was cruel, he had often reminded her of that in the Underground. There was no way she could have stayed, not then, she was only a child and he…well, she didn't even know how old he was or if he even aged. Her parents would never have agreed to a match like that anyway, it was unheard of. She couldn't believe she was even thinking of it herself.
She shook herself a bit to clear her head and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, grimacing as the sickening sweet liquid nearly made her gag. She stood up, looking at her long legs covered in spiders web patterned tights, she smiled, she could almost she herself wearing these to class, maybe she could purchase them from Rachel's friend later. She pushed her way through the dancing, costumed bodies in the living room, Jesus Jones' 'Right here, Right now' blasted throughout the place, all the pop hits had been playing. What she wouldn't give for something a bit darker, more consistent with her current mood.
"Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, thus much let me avow —You are not wrong, who deem. That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away. In a night, or in a day, in a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seem-Is but a dream within a dream." She recited Poe's lines to herself as she moved to the kitchen for another drink, something sharper with more of an edge. The only thing she could find to her taste at that moment was a Killian's Irish Red, it would have to do. What she wouldn't give for a good glass of scotch. The kind aged in oak barrels that you would slowly nurse in front of a fire while reading Dante and Homer, Milton and Tolstoy. He probably would agree. She could see him now, lying on the velvet couch in front of the fire, stretched out like a graceful, feline, her head on his belly while he stroked her hair with his fingers gingerly, sipping on the amber liquid from an ancient crystal glass. She blushed at the thought, her belly warm again with thoughts of him.
Stop. Just stop it, Sarah. You should know better. Besides, knowing his personality, he probably would be trying to take advantage of her or play cruel jokes on her if it was up to him. Stop thinking of him. You owe it to yourself by now to move on and try someone new instead of pining over some dream fairy made up by a youth's lustful yearning over a man twice her age. Get it together Sarah.
She lifted her head and nearly groaned when she saw who was walking up to her, Sam's friend, Charlie, he was head of the chapter at the fraternity and he came from money, which said a lot about his disposition. He was crude, arrogant and believed he was God's gift to women. He was dressed as Marty McFly from 'Back to the Future.' His long wavy curls were brushed through, framing his face. He wasn't bad to look at in that rich boy kind of way, but he was annoying and not her type. To be honest, Sarah didn't really know if she had a type, having never dated. Her type had 80's rock hair, tight pants and glitter all over their skin, she determined.
He nodded his head at her and pulled at the red vest of his costume like he was trying to put his hands in his pockets, he must have thought it was a smooth gesture but on him it just looked foolish and Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from snickering. "'Sup, Sarah?"
"Hello, Charlie."
"How do you like the party so far?"
She thought a moment about a reply and smiled. "It has sparked a wave of ennui within me."
"Really? That's so great to hear. I was hoping you would like it."
Sarah was about to laugh but nearly started at the comment. Did he…did he actually care about what she thought of it? Why? "You were?"
"Yeah, that's why I asked Rachel to bring you. I thought we could have some fun."
"We? Oh, um…" Sarah began backing away towards the living room. "Actually, I'm more of a wallflower. I would rather just people watch."
"People…what?" He scrunched up his face trying to think of what she meant.
"I mean that I don't like crowds."
His face lit up and he grinned, eyeing her up and down. Oh no…
"Perfect. I have a place we can go to get away from the crowds. I don't like them either."
"Mmm, I doubt that. Look, that is really sweet of you, but I think I would rather prefer to stay here and listen to the music. Isn't there some sorority girl you would like to go make out with somewhere?" She bit out. Maybe she was being too harsh, but she just didn't have the patience for a half-drunk frat boy who wanted to get in her pants tonight. She should never have let Rachel talk her into coming here. It was time to call a taxi. "I was actually just about to leave. Do you have a phone? I need to call a taxi."
"I can take you back to your dorm in my Beemer." He offered, smiling, his eyes belying his thoughts. Charlie may be dumb, but he was no fool. He wasn't about to let her leave without a bit of a struggle.
"No thanks. I don't know you that well and to be honest, I just don't trust you." Charlie's eyes narrowed at the remark and he dropped his arms to his sides. She watched as he balled them into fists, she thought quickly about what to say to ease the tension. "Look, I am sure you are a nice guy, Charlie." She assured him. "But I'm tired, I'm not really up for talking anymore. I just want to go home."
Charlie smirked. "What a coincidence. I'm not really up for talking either."
She was thankful she was in a crowd of people for the moment, she didn't like the way Charlie was speaking, she could smell the booze on him and he seemed to be a bit unsteady on his feet. She needed to find Rachel and go home. She couldn't be caught alone with him.
"If you think I'm a nice guy, you should get to know me."
"I don't think we are compatible."
"How do you know? You don't know anything about me."
"I'm not your type."
Charlie's brow frowned. "And just exactly what is my type?"
"Charlie, we both know you like being popular, you love people and being the center of attention, you play all kinds of jokes at school on teachers and friends, which is all well and good. But I'm not like that. I'm shy, a wallflower. I like to sink into the scenery and not be noticed."
He chortled and scratched at the top of his head. "Ha, that's rich. Everyone notices Sarah Williams. Who wouldn't? I mean, look at you." He waved a hand up and down at her.
Sarah blushed profusely.
Charlie smiled, just a crack and he reminded her of someone else for a moment, someone from long ago, a far away dream. "You're even prettier when you blush. It's like it makes your eyes stand out even more, like emeralds."
Sarah cleared her throat and looked away. She didn't see him advance, for someone who was a sloppy drunk, he was quick to move and grabbed her wrist, shoving her up against the counter, which dug into her lower back painfully and knocked the wind out of her. Sarah had reached out an arm to stop him, pushing on his chest. It took her a minute to realize what he was doing; he was leaning in to try to kiss her. He had some nerve!
"What do you think you are doing?" She yelled angrily. Party-goers began to stare at the two of them. She pushed at him, but he didn't budge, his muscled frame was a lot bigger than her thin one. "Charlie, knock it off!"
He leaned back a bit to speak but didn't let her go, his lower half grinding into her. "Quit being such a prude, Sarah! Any girl would love to go out with me."
"Well, not this one." She couldn't decide whether to keep pushing him away or to grab at his wrist to make him let her go. Both seemed futile. He was drunk enough she could try to distract him and there were enough people watching that she could call out for help, so she didn't feel truly threatened by him yet. Still, he was being an ass and she decided to go for the old classic. She slapped him as hard as she could on the cheek. Everyone in the room gasped and there were a couple 'ooo's' but Charlie did budge. He seemed unphased by the onlookers, which worked in her favor, that meant he wasn't going to take it too far.
He gritted his teeth as he looked at her, the hand at her wrist tightening and Sarah winced.
"You're hurting me."
"You first." He replied cockily, pointing to his cheek.
"Then let me go." Sarah ground out.
"What if I don't want to?" He whispered in her ear so only she could hear.
"I don't care. Leave me alone! I wish I had never come here! Ugh, I wish someone would take me away from this awful place!"
There was an audible snap in the air and then Charlie was ripped away from her in an instant, Sarah nearly went with him as he was still holding onto her wrist until someone put their hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Sarah looked up to see a man in a black suit standing next to her, he wore a black owl half-mask with a long beak that went down over his chin. He had blonde hair that fell softly around his face.
"I do believe, the lady told you to unhand her." The stranger said sternly.
Sarah furrowed her brow. He was tall and slim and his black suit seemed to…sparkle. No. It couldn't be. Sarah looked around, the stranger had thrown Charlie from her to land on his back, hitting his head against the fridge. He held a black cane in front of Charlie, almost as if daring him to move again. Charlie, for his part, looked at the owl-masked man like he was a lunatic.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Someone not to be trifled with." He lifted the cane and stepped back, still not removing his hand from Sarah's shoulder. Sarah, for her part, didn't seem to care. She just wanted Charlie away from her, she didn't care how.
"This is my place and I have every right to call the cops on your ass for assaulting me." Charlie retorted, getting to his feet slowly. The Owl man never took his eyes off him, twirling his cane in Charlie's face to keep him from advancing. Charlie swerved backward and started going for the phone on the wall of the kitchen.
"Go ahead." The owl man encouraged. "I am sure the police would love to hear how you assaulted a young woman and are having a party where you are serving alcohol to minors."
Charlie stopped and looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "Get out."
"I don't think so. We will leave when we please."
"Fine," Charlie grumbled, brushing himself off, he tried to stand a little taller as he walked away. "Just stay away from me." He disappeared through the crowd and when everyone began to realize the drama had subsided and there wasn't going to be any fight, they went about their business.
Sarah looked up and down at the owl-man, her heart hammering in her chest. Was it? It couldn't be, after all this time, could it? "J…Jareth?"
The glint of a sharp-toothed smile peered back at her from underneath the mask. "Hello, Sarah."
Sarah felt faint. She was not the type to swoon. Get it together. It had only been…what? Seven years? Why had he appeared now after all this time? She had so many questions, she didn't know where to start. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.
"YOU!" She pointed a finger at him accusingly. He finally let her shoulder go and raised an eyebrow. "You cad!"
"That was not the response I was expecting considering I did just save you from almost certain peril."
Sarah folded her arms and her usual overconfident demeanor was back in a flash. "I was handling him just fine, thank you very much."
Jareth's chest puffed out as he put his arms behind his back and grinned. "Mmm, yes. That must be right. I am sure that is exactly why you called for my help."
"I did no such thing!"
"Oh really?" He trilled.
Sarah's eyes widened at the realization of her words. She had uttered 'I wish' aloud, her face fell.
Jareth grinned magnanimously. "Come, come, Sarah. You of all people should have realized long ago that words have power."
"Now? After all this time? Why didn't you…?" Sarah stopped, digging her fingernails into her arms, willing herself to keep the tears at bay. How could he? How could he only come now?
Jareth's jaw clenched, his eyes, normally shining and clear seemed to cloud with an emotion Sarah couldn't quite place. Disappointment? Regret? It changed then and his gaze hardened. "In my defense, you haven't even looked in a mirror for more than five minutes since you returned home. You have never once uttered anyone's name from the Underground. What of your so-called friends? How do you think they feel now that they know you have abandoned them?"
"I did no such thing!" It sounded whiny even to her own ears. "I have not abandoned them." But even as she said it, Sarah felt a pang in her heart. Did she? Had she abandoned them? She had wanted to be left alone. Even when they had said they would be there when she needed them, she hadn't needed them after all. She didn't want to need them. She had wanted to put childish things behind her after that ordeal. She wanted to believe it was all a dream. To rid herself of them, of him.Perhaps then he couldn't affect her so utterly.
"And anyway, how do you know what I do?" Did he spy on her when she was alone? Sarah felt mortified and her cheeks burned red. She remembered he had had the power to turn into a white barn owl when she was a teenager, but she had been careful. Her windows were shut and after her time in the Underground, she couldn't bear the thought of anyone looking back at her so she had covered or gotten rid of any mirrors. She had not meant to forget her friends, she had only wanted to forget…
"How quickly you forget who and what I am." There was an edge of power in his voice that made Sarah shiver.
Her resolve hardened then. Always the arrogant one. "I haven't forgotten." She said matter-of-factly. She finally marched out of the kitchen, leaving him behind with the other staring eyes. She didn't want an audience for the conversation she felt this would be leading to. She needed a more secluded place for her confusing thoughts to fester and boil, somewhere she could stare up at the stars and wonder how she had gotten herself into this mess. She could hear the clicking of his tall black boots on the tile following her, his long strides catching up to her in a moment. If she was honest with herself, it felt good to leave the arrogant ass in her trail, served him right. He caught up with her as she rounded the sliding glass door out onto the backyard patio and grabbed her by the arm non to gently.
"No? Then, pray, tell me why you conjured me up here, tonight of all nights?" He looked down at her, his blue-black eyes steely, as he held her firmly in place.
Sarah's heart hammered in her chest, not because she was afraid of him, no, fear of him had left her when she had beaten him when she was fourteen. No, now, it was his nearness that disturbed her thoughts as he stepped in close to her, his chest brushing hers ever so gently, she could feel his warm breath on her forehead as he looked down at her. He smelled of winter, like a crisp frost and warm apple spices of mulled cider. She closed her eyes for a moment and drank in his scent. She could feel him still, holding himself perfectly in line with her frame, almost afraid to move and break the spell she had put them in. For a moment, her brain warred with her body on whether she wanted to pull him in closer or push him away. He was her enemy, right? Hadn't he stolen her brother, poisoned her with cursed fruit and tried to kill her? She couldn't trust him. Sarah shook her head and pulled her arm from his grasp. She was all to sure he could have held her there if he had wanted to but he didn't. Instead he looked off into the garden.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, folding her arms again in consternation.
"After all, it is Samhain, the night when the vale grows thin between our two worlds."
"The vale?" Sarah thought for a moment, she had studied long and hard over the years of any myth, legend or monster she could find in the rare book room in the University, looking for any information they had on a Goblin King. "You're talking of Fae kind. Is that what you are? Some sort of Fae king?" In her search she had learned much about the Fae, from not eating any of their food to not harming or cutting down a sacred Hawthorne tree.
"My kind does not go by the lowly words the humans have called us." But he didn't elaborate so Sarah continued to prod.
"If not Fae, then what do I call you."
"You already know. You have known from the moment we first met."
"The Goblin King."
He nodded once. Sarah furrowed her brow. That seemed…not right. Not that she didn't suspect anything else but it just seemed, too simple? Was she expecting too much? Who was the goblin king? How did he fit into her life and how did she fit into his?
"Disappointed?" He smiled, showing a bit of teeth.
"No." She sighed. "Why are you really here?"
"I thought we've spoken of this already, Sarah, I really didn't think you this obtuse."
"I meant why are you here now? Is it just because I wished you here? The first time you were here to take my brother. Why now? Why…me?" She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she asked him the question that was on her heart, that had rattled her existence the past seven years.
He was silent, still looking out at the garden, the line of his jaw a perfect edge in profile. At first she didn't think he was going to answer her but then he looked straight at her and spoke in a voice like steel.
"Oh, Sarah, still clinging to childish fantasies and dreams. It's pathetic, really. You thought you could change things with just a few brave words?"
Her breath caught as the weight of his words shattered the fragile hope she had clung to all these years. For a moment he smiled at his own victory but then her face hardened. She would not let him rule over her emotions anymore. She stepped in closer, standing toe to toe with him and looked up into his eyes, challenging him. "If I'm so insignificant, then why are you so interested in me? Maybe it's because I'm the only one who has ever stood up to you."
Jareth's nostrils flared and he looked away, it was the only sign of emotion he gave that let her know she may have hit a nerve.
"I have lived longer than you will ever know and I have seen many creatures run my labyrinth over those millennia. You, dear child, are just another face in the machine." He stretched his arms over his head and began to walk along the path to the gardens.
Was that true? If she really was just a face in the machine, just another creature to him then she needed to walk away now. How could she be so foolish to think that she was something different, something special? It seemed she hadn't put childish things behind her quite yet after all. Sarah stared after him, his tall figure gracefully walking the small gardens, cane in one gloved hand, the other gingerly brushing the tops of the flower heads like a child in awe and wonder. Sarah walked over to him.
She jutted out her chin in defiance, "I'm not just another face in the machine and you know it." She prided herself on keeping her voice from trembling. "I am the one woman who beat the labyrinth. I won. So just like before, you have no power over me."
He turned toward her, truly angry now. "You think you have all the power do you? Just because I returned you and your whiny little brother back home unscathed? You, with your careless words and reckless deeds, you don't even know or care to ask how your friends are, what would happen when you returned triumphant in glory to your own world, leaving my own in shambles. You're a shrew, Sarah, and I should have known better than to expect you to care about the things you ruin with that sweet little mouth of yours to leave it behind trampled in the dust." He spat.
Sarah's eyes had gone wide. She had never thought of that, she remembered how after she had said those fateful words the castle walls had broken apart and she had been falling, falling so far to land back home safely. She hadn't given one single thought to what had happened to her friends, to the labyrinth, to him, as long as Toby had been all right. She had never seen him so undone. What did that mean? Had something horrible happened? Was it her fault?
"I don't believe you. I saw them in my mirror afterwards that night. They spoke with me. They came to my room and we had a party before they went back…"
"Yes, but nothing was said about what had happened to their home, hmm?"
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"You mean to tell me you don't remember? I find that hard to believe. You have been speaking to me about that time all night without a care." He grinned again. "It seems I have left an indelible mark upon you, my dear." Sarah blushed. "Mmm, well, Charlie was right about one thing at least, your eyes do stand out."
She tried to change the subject and ignore his comments about her appearance. It was things like that she had to wonder if he was just saying things off the cuff or did he really mean them. "What happened? You mean when the castle broke?"
Jareth held out a hand to her. "Would you like to see it for yourself?"
Sarah took a step back, grasping at her hands. She couldn't trust him. If he was fae, which he hadn't yet confirmed, she knew they could be sneaky, even if they couldn't outright lie.
"You would take me there?"
He nodded once.
"And if I wanted to come home, you would bring me back home?"
"I can manage that."
She frowned, that wasn't a good answer, it was a little too open ended. She knew that was probably as good as she was going to get from the likes of him. It was still her choice. If she wanted to see her friends she might have to take that chance. What if she got stuck there though? She couldn't bear the thought of losing Toby again.
"You can manage it, but will you do it?"
"I am capable of it."
"Being capable is not the same thing as being willing."
"Indeed."
"But that's all I am going to get, isn't it?"
"Fast learner." His eyes sharpened.
Sarah sighed. Her curiosity was too strong. She had to know what happened, if she had broken their homes, destroyed them because of her words somehow, she would try to make it right. It was only fair.
"Very well. I must admit, I'm too curious not to say no."
"Mmm," He grinned, still holding out his hand, she thought he looked very much like a spider trying to lure the fly into its web. Alas, it was too late, she had made up her mind and she was old enough this time to go through with it, no matter the cost. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
"Yes, I know." She said gravely, aware she was sealing her own fate.
She took a hold of his gloved hand. The leather crackled a bit as he gently but firmly wrapped his fingers around her wrist.
"I'm glad you are coming of your own free will, it would have been a terrible time to try to have to drag you back, after all, you did wish to be taken away from this awful place. And I regret to say, I must seek out the wishes fulfillment. Forgive me, Sarah."
Sarah's eyes widened at the admonition as she heard an audible pop and they were whisked away from everything she had known and loved. What had she done? More importantly, what had he done, she wondered.