My fanfic is progressing...
Eleven chapters done, almost twelve. I hope Ariel will like it. It's my first laby fanfic, so I hope I don't suck. And maybe that charming person posting comments in my LJ will comment on my FF. I hope so. Sorry for any mispelling, my english is very good but not perfect. My native language is french and I have problems sometimes with english verb tenses. But I corrected those in my fic, so it should be alright.
Past quotes, words spoken by telepathy, inner voice and dreams are in italiques. Books contains are in blackfaces.
Just so anyone could understand my fanfic and the sylph thing, there's little magpie's analysis:
I found an article Little Magpie's Analysis which found surprizing similarities between Jareth and sylphs (folklore beings similar to angels.).
1) “Sylphs are beings of wide-open spaces and the air. They are responsible for the myths of "angels". Sylphs can control the weather. Notice how the weather became stormier when Sarah was in the park as Jareth watched her reciting her words from the book. Also, it stormed more severely when Jareth appeared to Sarah in the nursery.
2) Sylphs can shape-shift into bird form. Jareth transformed into an owl.
3) Sylphs are airy in character, and can control their element, or exhibit characteristics of it. Notice that it was often windy or breezy when Jareth was present. On the hilltop with Sarah, it was very windy, and the wind stopped when Jareth disappeared. The climactic confrontation scene was also windy.
4) Jareth could literally vanish into thin air.
5) Sylphs are delicate and ethereal in appearance, even angelic. Jareth did have a delicate beauty about him.
6) In the scene in which Hoggle was about to dump the peach into the Bog, he heard Jareth's voice and immediately looked skyward. It was as if he knew Jareth was in the air somewhere. Also, Jareth's voice was an echo.
7) Sylphs can aid in the art of scrying (divining the future through shiny objects such as mirrors or crystal balls). Jareth offered to show Sarah her dreams through crystals.
8) “Wilder sylphs are intense and direct, like the birds of prey they resemble. They soar endlessly through the skies, looking for something to attract their interests and allow them to prove their worth.” Very accurate description of Jareth, I should think, right down to the bird of prey (in his case, the relatively non-threatening barn owl).
9) “Sylphs are active, energetic, quick of movement and of speech, subtle, clever, intelligent, persuasive, but at times mocking and superficial. They are light complexioned, with light brown or dark blond hair, usually. Their eyes tend to be blue or grey. They may come in either male or female form, but have a slight preference for the male body. They usually appear in bodies that are only partially formed and transparent, but when they assume human shape they are thin, not muscular, with long arms and legs, deep chests, usually short hair. Their touch feels very human and normal. Their faces tend to be angular. Sylphs are helpful when trying to accomplish matters that involve the intellect or products of the intellect, such as works of art, letters, books, ideas, religious dogmas, political manifestos, or the persuasion of others through ideas. There is little danger in evoking Sylphs, but they have a mild contempt for human beings and will lie very convincingly when it suits their purposes. Be vigilant against deception when dealing with them".
10) "Sylphs develop an intense affection and devotion for the humans they serve (this is traditionally not always something sexual or romantic), and Jareth did have an intense affection for Sarah (whom he felt bound to, and, in his case, he did have a romantic interest in Sarah)."
11) "Sylphs teach that action follows thought. Jareth seemed to show Sarah on more than one occasion that he did everything she wanted and expected, whether she realized it or not, and that he would manifest her thoughts for her benefit or her detriment.
12) Sylphs are fond of children and anything young. Jareth was very gentle with Toby. (I personally doubt he would have actually turned the child into a goblin; he really wanted Sarah. Also, taking Toby may have been another way to show Sarah that her thoughts would have consequences.)
Labyrinth fanfiction:
Title: Healing and love
Pen name: Moonyismyprotector
Pairing: Jareth/Sarah
M for mature
Type: Angst, NC-17, mary sue.
Number of chapters (19 for now, it might change):
Chapter 1: The past
Chapter 2: Never the same
Chapter 3: Trying to live a normal life
Chapter 4: Sorrow and anger
Chapter 5: Lost and lonely
Chapter 6: It hurts too much
Chapter 7: Healing
Chapter 8: The castle beyond the goblin city
Chapter 9: Dealing with feelings and emotions
Chapter 10: Dear friends
Chapter 11: The Underground's wonders
Chapter 12: How Didymus became a knight
Chapter 13: Enemies
Chapter 14: Nightmares
Chapter 15: Selena
Chapter 16: My love
Chapter 17: War
Chapter 18: Wedding
Chapter 19: Happily ever after
Summary: Sarah lost everything and everyone, she think Jareth will never come back to her. She's so desperate that she attempt suicide. Jareth save her, bring her to his castle and help her heal, pushing her slowly to open up to him. Sarah finally admit her love for him.
Characters:
Jareth: Fae king of the goblins. Jareth is also the king of dreams. Any blind people can see that. He can manipulate them and he has complete power over them. In my fanfic some other fae (mostly sylphs) can do that, but they are no match for Jareth who has supreme power over the dreams because he's the king of dreams. He's in love with Sarah. After eight years Sarah and him are reunited.
Sarah Williams: No need to describe her. I hate that girl. She's such a cruel heartbreaker in the movie, as well as spoiled, selfish and ungrateful of any generosity, she always wanted more. As you write a fanfiction, as WE write a fanfiction, we hold the fate of the characters in the palm of our hand. It is such a sweet revenge to make her feel so guilty about what she did that it is eating into her... That's what she deserve for the pain she caused him. You are no match for me Sarah as I'm choosing, writing and creating your fate. Be glad I gave you hapiness with him, you don't deserve it and he deserve so much better than you... In my fanfic, she's twenty-four, after eight years Jareth and her are reunited. I still wonder why I permitted that... Maybe that's because he love her and no other.
Ailyn: One of Jareth's servants and an elf maiden.
Paralda: What? You never heard of Paralda? I suggest you don't say her name aloud without thinking or without a good reason to do so, that would be disrespectful and saying her name aloud would give you complete power over her because she's a spirit of nature or faerie being, and you have no right to do that. Her protection, favors and friendship are not to be taken for granted. Paralda really exist and she's the sylph queen, the ruler of the air spirits. As there are various kind of spirits of nature or faerie beings (just like the guardian angels and the 82 angels working on various domains), there are spirits of nature or faerie beings for the four elements: Air, water, fire and ground. According to Brian Fround Jareth is a fae. It is obvious that he's either tuatha de danaan or Sidhe and part sylph. The fireys are obviously spirits of fire and Ludo, even If we always see him in animal form is without doubt a spirit of earth because he has complete power over the earth element and can summon the very rock. Just because they are spirits of nature (faerie beings) doesn't mean they can't be quite material...
Ludo: He look like a yeti. He must be a fae too or part fae. Earth spirit obviously, he can summon the very rock.
Sir Didymus: A fox knight. He knows the bridge stayed intact for a thousand year, so he's possibly part fae and immortal too. His loyal steed is a sheepdog named Ambrosius. Sir Didymus, in my fanfic, is the most loyal subject of king Jareth. He has sworn to fight the enemies of his king to the death and defend him against anyone who would dare to speak ill of him. Didymus is angry with Hoogle who's often speaking of Jareth as If he's a monster. I just love Didymus and he's a very loyal and brave knight, so I wanted him to stand up for Jareth. Someone (or something) must do this, too many people see Jareth as a monster when clearly he's a shade of grey like the rest of us.
Hoggle: Hoggle is another friend of Sarah, he's a dwarf and he just love jewels. He's constantly speaking ill of Jareth and the two of them are not really on good terms. It is the reason why Hoggle and Didymus are constantly about to brawl, Didymus being Jareth's most loyal subject and Hoggle not being on good terms with the king.
Selena: She's a fifteen years old human teenager and a warrior girl, she was adopted by a fae couple when she was one. She was wished away to the goblins, Jareth gave her a family. Selena has eternal gratitude and fierce loyalty toward Jareth. She will fight beside Jareth against his enemies during the war. She'll become the royal advisor for Jareth and Sarah.
Funny facts:
As I was typing this fanfiction I was listening to "Beautiful stranger", by Madonna. This song would make an excellent labyrinth music video. I can't believe how much it is relate to Labyrinth. It is a coincidence of course, but it describe Jareth from Sarah's point of view:
Beautiful Stranger, Madonna:
Haven't we met
You're some kind of beautiful stranger
You could be good for me
I have a taste for danger
If I'm smart then I'll run away
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay
Heaven forbid
I take my chance on a beautiful stranger
I Look into your eyes
And my world came tumbling down
You're the devil in disguise
That's why I'm singing this song
To know you
Is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
To love you
Is to be part of you
I wait for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
If I'm smart then I'll run away
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay
Haven't you heard
I fell in love with a beautiful stranger
I look into your face
My heart was dancing all over the place
I'd like to change my point of view
If I could just forget about you
To know you
Is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
I look into your eyes
And my world came tumbling down
You're the devil in disguise
That's why I'm singing this song to you
To know you
is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
I wait for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
But then again, everytime I hear a song, I go check the lyrics to see If it could be relate to Labyrinth or one of the character, even if it is a coincidence.
It's my first fanfic, so since I'm not really good with words sometimes, I copied some lines from other fanfics just to express correctly what I wanted to say.
Life lessons in Labyrinth:
- What's said is said:
You can't take back what you said. An equivalent of what's done is done. You can't take it back.
- Don't take anything for granted:
It is not a good thing to do, things can turn out to be worse and you can lose what you took for granted.
Things aren't always what they seems:
Got that right
- The way forward is sometimes the way back:
You must face the past and accept it in order to go on.
- If that's the way it must be done, then that's the way you must do it:
No need to explain this one. It says everything. Things must be done the way they must be done.
- Quite often, it seems like we're not getting anywhere when in fact, we are:
Never had a truer word. Althought I have the feeling that I'm certainly not getting anywhere at the moment.
Be careful what you wish for:
It's true, but I don't really care. I wished myself away quite often, it can't be worse than this world and my life certainly can't get any worse.
Please Ariel, If I suck, feel free to throw rotten peaches at me, I'll be more than honored...
Chapter 1: The past
Jareth was pacing the throne room. He couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. She had rejected him and his offer. He sat on his throne and tried to focus his mind on something else, but her words echoed in his mind.
"What have you done that's generous?"
He'd done everything that she wanted, he'd been what she wanted him to be. A villain, that's what she'd wanted him to be. Of course, Jareth wasn't evil. He never harmed or killed anyone, unless he had no choice because a life was threaten or his kingdom was at stake. He wasn't completely good either. More like a shade of grey. He was very fair with his subjects and althought he rarely showed it, he was feeling a great deal of compassion and affection for each and every one of them. Sighing, he conjured a crystal and looked into it. He saw Sarah talking to a friend and laughing.
"Oh my sweet Sarah", he thought, "Did you forget about me?".
The goblins were in the throne room and just like they always do, they were making a lot of noise.
"Out!", he yelled.
The goblins ran out of the throne room as fast as they could. They were mostly stupid, but they knew that it wasn't wise to disobey a direct order from their king. Still looking into the crystal, he didn't notice someone standing a few feet away from him.
"My poor brother. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Jareth looked at the fae woman.
"Orchidea", his expression turned cold, "Stay out of this."
Anyone else would've run out of the throne room, just like the goblins did. Not Orchidea.
"Jareth, please, listen to me", she said.
Jareth flashed her a dangerous look.
"Leave", he said.
But she didn't move.
"You know how much I love you, brother. I can't bear to see you suffer", she said.
"I'm fine", he said arrogantly.
"No, you're not", she said softly, "Is there anything I can do to ease your pain? I know you love the mortal woman. There's always hope, Jareth."
His expression softened. He loved his sister as much as she loved him, but he hated to show any emotion. For him, emotions were weaknesses to a king.
"Sarah rejected me and made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want to have anything to do with me", he said in a tone devoid of any emotion.
"There's always hope. Things can change", she said.
"She's perfectly happy without me", he said.
"But clearly, you are not happy without her", she said sadly.
"I let her go and I will not bring her here against her will. I can't even go to her unless she wish herself away or call my name. I can only watch over her in owl form or see how she is into my crystals", he said.
For a split minute, he didn't say a word. Then, he turned to his sister.
"If she really want to see me, she'll call me to her, she'll call my name", he said.
He left the throne room and entered his bedchamber. He sat on the window-sill and looked at the labyrinth outside. A sad sigh escaped him.
"For her, it was only a game. Even the ballroom and my declaration of love", he thought.
He slipped under the bed sheets and closed his eyes. But the escher room events with Sarah were now in his nightmares and that was a restless night. When he woke up in the morning, he was exhausted, but he had a kingdom to run. He had no choice but to get up. He vanished and reappeared in the throne room. He sended the goblins back to their duty, then he went to his study. He had paperwork to do.
"Brainless goblins to rule and politics to top it all", he thought, disgusted.
Even if he had affection for his subjects, goblins were mostly brainless and if he hadn't been there to rule them, they wouldn't have survived. They needed a ruler for their own sake because they were lost without leadership. All they cared about was sleeping, eating and getting drunk. Then, they were making a mess out of the throne room and he had to clean behind them, using his magic, while the drunk goblins were stupidly singing drinking songs or stuff like "For he's a jolly good fellow". Then he had to wait 'til they were sober again to send them back to their duty. At least they were fiercely loyal.
"And I thought I had to focus my mind on anything but Sarah", he murmured.
When he was done with the paperwork, he went to a window, turned into a barn owl and flew toward the labyrinth. He wanted to watch over Sarah for a little while. The wonderful sensation of the wind caressing him quietened his mind for a moment.
Chapter 2: Never the same
Sarah Williams was twenty four years old and she had her own appartment. Things had changed since her adventure into the labyrinth, eight years ago. She was still a bit of a dreamer and a part of her knew that her adventure had been real. But she knew that she was an adult who should keep both feet on the ground because she had responsibilities. She had a great job, she was selling houses. In her free time, she was visiting her father, karen and Toby. Toby was nine years old and sometimes, he was telling Sarah about strange dreams he had, mentioning small creatures, a song and a strange looking man. Sarah was worried. He was just one year old when she had wished him away to the goblins and she didn't want him to know that everything was her fault because he would hate her. She had a great friend, her name was Amy. She hadn't been the same since her adventure into the labyrinth, but her life was okay. She was cleaning the house when she found a box in her wardrobe. She opened it and the first thing she saw was a drawing of Jareth she had drew after her adventure into the labyrinth. She snatched the drawing and looked at it. There was so much sadness and exhaustion in those eyes! Why did she draw him with that look in his eyes?! She remembered how cold his voice was, the mocking look in his eyes, his cruel smile. But she didn't remember seeing Jareth sad or exhausted. Words echoed in her mind.
"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"
Her eyes widened. Flashbacks hitted her. A room full of staircases, a feathery white cape, a crystal ball.
"Look Sarah. Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams." "I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want."
Sarah stiffened.
"He would've sended Toby home If I had asked him to do so", she thought, "This was never about Toby. He wanted me to stay."
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."
The average things asked by a king.
"That's not as terrible as it seemed to be", she thought.
"Mismatched eyes. That's just so rare, maybe even unique. One calm blue, the other a warm hazel", she murmured.
Rummaging in the box, she found a diary. She began to read.
"Dear diary, that was such an adventure! I had thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth and get Toby back. Why was I selfish enough to wish him away in the first place? Sure I feel bad about it, but I don't regret it because If I hadn't I wouldn't have been transported to the Underground and I would not be talking about this wonderful adventure right now. I have three wonderful friends. Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus. I can't stop thinking about Jareth. He wasn't that bad really. He didn't hurt any of us. Yes, there was the drugged peach, but hey, no harm done and the effects wore off a short while after. As for the cleaners, he was probably trying to frighten me because of my "piece of cake" comment and he sended them where there was an escape. Seriously, the attempts on my life were clumsy If not laughable. I remember the ballroom, I remember dancing with Jareth as he sang softly to me. He was so nice, soft and romantic. Oh my gosh, he's so beautiful. I wonder why I didn't notice before. Maybe I was more comfortable with him casted in the role of the villain. Oh my gosh, so beautiful. Wild blond hair falling around him in soft delicate wisps, mismatched eyes, one calm blue, the other a warm hazel. A generous mouth that could compress to a thin, cruel line. How soft his lips look. I wonder how earth shattering it would be to feel them against my own..."
Sarah flushed bright red and shut the diary.
"That was years ago", she reminded herself, "I was just sixteen. I was curious. He fascinated me, yes, but I've never been in love with him."
She rummaged in the box again and she found drawings of her friends. One of them was a drawing of Sir Didymus. He was so cute. Sarah smiled happily. He was the cuttest and bravest small creature she'd ever met. When she was done with cleaning the house, she paid a visit to her family and spended some time with Toby. They were in the park and Toby was playing. He wanted Sarah to play with him, but she was lost in her thoughts. She remembered rehearsing lines from the labyrinth book in this park, she remembered the barn owl watching her, perched on a stone pillar. She remembered everything. The storm, her stepmother complaining, babysitting Toby, wishing him away to the goblins, meeting Jareth for the very first time. He had been in her father's room, standing by the window, looking so proud and arrogant, but gosh, so beautiful. She felt someone tugging at her sleeve. She looked at Toby, a bit confused.
"Come on, sis! Come and play with me", he said enthousiastically.
"Okay, Tobe", she said with a grin.
After supper, she called her friend, Amy, and they agreed to go to a party organized by some of Amy's friends. The party was late that evening, so they talked about the average stuff; job, family, gossips. But Sarah couldn't stop thinking about Jareth.
"Why the hell can't I stop thinking about him?!", she thought, "I barely know him. I just know he's not really bad, because he never harmed me, Toby or any of my friends, though he threaten Hoggle. But gosh, he's so beautiful and he can be so soft and romantic."
"Sarah?", Amy said.
"Huh?", Sarah asked.
She looked at Amy and she felt dumb.
"You weren't listening to what I was saying. Is there something wrong?", Amy said.
"No. I'm fine", Sarah said.
"Well, the party is at nine. Let's go", Amy urged.
They were gone. When Sarah came back home, she was very tired. She took her keys and unlocked the door. She didn't notice the barn owl perched in a nearby tree. She turned the light off and went to bed right away. She had the curious impression that someone or something was watching her from outside the house. She chased the thought away and fell asleep. She was dreaming about Jareth.
Chapter 3: Trying to live a normal life
Sarah got up early that morning to go to work. But she was so distracted by her thoughts that she could hardly concentrate on what she was doing. Because of that, her boss missed a very good offer and he was not happy about it. By the end of the day, he decided to fire her. He couldn't keep an employee who was daydreaming all the time.
"I'm really sorry, Sarah, but I took my decision", he said.
"But that's so unfair!", she said.
"I'm sorry", he said.
Then, he left. Sarah went home and sat down. She was angry.
"It's all your fault, Jareth", she thought, "Why are you always on my mind?"
Someone knocked on the door. A glimpse of hope illuminated Sarah's eyes.
"No way", she thought, "Since when does he knock?"
She went to the door and opened it. It was Amy.
"We need to talk", Amy said.
Sarah led the way and sat down. Amy joined her.
"Our boss is not very happy, apparently. He told me that he fired you", Amy said.
"That, he did", Sarah said, grumpy.
"what's wrong, Sarah?", Amy asked a rather angry Sarah.
"Nothing's wrong", Sarah said.
"You're always daydreaming and you have that faraway look in your eyes. Is there something you're not telling me?", Amy asked.
"I can't talk about it", Sarah said with a "end of the conversation" look.
"Fine. I'm sick and tired of this, Sarah. I can't hang out with a person who's daydreaming, uncapable to keep her job. And that might be rude to tell you that right now, especially after what just happened to you, but I have bad news for you", Amy said.
"And what would that be?", Sarah asked.
"This afternoon, your father, karen and Toby were killed by a gang of criminals and your grandmother called me to tell me. She'll take care of the funeral and everything. Now, If you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than hanging out with a dreamer", Amy said.
Sarah fought back the tears.
"I thought you were my friend", she said.
"I was", Amy said before heading out of the house.
Once the door was closed, Sarah fell on her knees and broke into sobs. Why did she had to lose everything and everyone? She cried 'til she could cry no more, then she sat down. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she didn't care.
Jareth saw the whole scene into his crystal. When he saw Amy, who pretended to be Sarah's friend, treating her like that, he was rather furious.
"Too bad I can't interfere whenever I please in the Aboveworld. I would teach this mortal a lesson. I would scare her out of her wits", he thought.
When he saw Sarah sobbing, he felt as if his was heart breaking. A single tear escaped him.
"Oh why don't you call my name, my sweet love? I would be there for you. It's the only way", he thought.
He was in the library, sitting on the window sill, looking at the labyrinth outside. He remembered the ballroom and wondered if he would get to dance with sarah again someday, when a servant burst through the door. It was a young elf maiden. She bowed.
"Forgive me, your highness", she said, "But the goblins are making a mess out of your throne room."
She left.
"Story of my life", Jareth said with a sigh.
He left for the throne room. After putting some goblins to their place, he went to his study. He was angry and sad. He wanted to be left alone for a little while.
Sarah wiped her tears away, she went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. She looked miserable. She remembered what happened with a mirror a long time ago and she tried to call her friends, but it didn't work.
"Maybe it doesn't work with any mirror. Maybe mine was special", she thought, "Maybe my mirror was a connexion between both world, or Jareth putted a spell on it."
The phone rang and she answered the call. It was her grandmother. She didn't have to worry about anything. Her grandmother told her to rest and take care of herself.
"Honnestly, Sarah, dear,", she said, "You're going through so much pain and hardships. Your life would be so much easier if you weren't alone. You need a man in your life, my dear."
"Yeah", she thought gloomily as she sat down, "But the man I love, or think that I love, forgot about me."
She took her diary and kept reading it.
"Dear diary, I can't stop thinking about him. I'm always wondering, what is he doing? How is he? I didn't get to know him because I was in a hurry and I only had thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth. There's so much things I'd like to know about him. Hopes, dreams, secret desires, what he likes or hates... I saw the barn owl when I came back home. I know I didn't destroy him. He's alive somewhere. My bet is that he lost his magic for a while, but I'm sure he'll get it back. I'm so glad he's okay. I had to say the words. I didn't want to. Maybe that's why I couldn't say that last line. Not because I didn't remember, because it was second thoughts. But I did it. I only did it for Toby. I miss my friends terribly. I called to them, but they didn't come."
"Maybe I did this the wrong way. I tried to contact them since the party and it didn't work", she thought.
She punched the wall as tears fell down her cheeks. Why did she have to lose her family? Sure, she didn't get along with Karen, but now, they would never have a chance to get along. And after everything she'd been through to get Toby back and appreciate him more, poor Toby only got to live nine years.
"I should've let Jareth keep him. He would've done anything for me. He wouldn't have turned Toby into a goblin If I had asked him not to", she thought as guilt stabbed her, "And I should've stayed in the Underground with him."
And her father, she just wished she could've talked to him and set things right between them. She was sick and tired of crying, but she was unable to stop. She was crushed.
No one can blame you from walking away. Too much rejection, no love injection. Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cause it hurts like hell...
She was exhausted and she fell asleep on the couch.
She was in the labyrinth, the wind caressing her cheeks, a beautiful sunset illuminating the sky. She felt soft leather brushing against her arm. Jareth was there. He was the same, so very beautiful. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't move. For a moment, they didn't say anything.With Jareth's arms around her waist and the wind caressing her face, she was suddenly filled with inner peace. Jareth released her, slowly raised his hand and tenderly caressed her cheek. He looked as sad and weary as he had been in the escher room.
"There is so much pain within you, Sarah", he said sadly.
His voice was so soft, it brushed against her ear like velvet. Sarah looked away, suddenly sad.
"Too good to be true", she said, "I know I'm dreaming."
He cupped her face gently in his hands.
"Does it matters? Enjoy it", he said.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"You're strong, Sarah. Stronger than you could possibly imagine. I know you. Have faith in yourself", he whispered in her ear.
He caressed her cheek again. Sarah looked into his mismatched eyes and saw so much love that it took her breath away. She savored the caress of soft leather against her cheek. Then he pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to hers. There was such tenderness in that kiss that she felt her heartbeat quicken.
She woke up. She touched her lips with her fingers and her eyes widened.
"It was just a dream", she murmured, "Nothing but a dream."
She could still feel the sensation of his lips against hers. Her cat was sleeping on the couch, beside her. The cat yawned and stretched.
"Oh, at least I have you, Crystal", she said with a sigh.
The cat looked at her, purring.
"Maybe fresh air will do me some good", she thought, "That dream seemed so real."
She went out for a walk, but she avoided the park. She didn't want to think about the death of her brother and their parents right now.
Chapter 4: Sorrow and anger
Sarah sat on a bench and tried to think about anything but Jareth and the death of her family. But the more she tried to forget about Jareth, the more he was on her mind.
"This is ridiculous", she thought, "Sure I feel something for him, but this isn't love. It can't be love. I don't even know him."
"You don't have to", said her inner voice, "You know you want to spend the rest of your life with him. Running out of the ballroom, away from him, was the hardest thing you've ever been through."
"Oh, that's enough!", she hissed to herself.
"If you're not in love with him, why are you obsessed with him?", asked her inner voice.
"Not obsessed", she whispered angrily.
"Oh really?", said her inner voice, "Prove it. Say that you don't love him."
"I... I...", she murmured.
"See? You can't even say it! Can't deny it! You're in love with him!", said her inner voice in a mocking tone.
She went home. She was furious.
"I'm so not discussing with myself", she thought. She drank a glass of wine very slowly.
"I won't lose my sanity", she tried to reassure herself.
"That's all that's left for you", said her inner voice gloomily.
"Oh, shut up!", she hissed.
She was furious with herself.
"I've suffered and I've suffered enough", she thought, "I won't allow anyone else into my life."
She sat down and she felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Then why would I do anything to see him right in front of me?", she thought.
So many emotions filled her that she felt an aching burn inside her. Anger, sadness, despair, hope, fear.
"He's just too proud and too arrogant to show up", she thought, "Or he's mad at me and he hates me. Or even worse. He never truly loved me and he was just toying with me."
But deep down, she knew it wasn't true. Sure he had toyed with her a bit in the ballroom, playing cat and mouse, but she had wanted this too.
"Everything that you have wanted, I have done."
On the other hand, she knew he really felt the feelings he had expressed through his behavior and the song he had sang to her. He had barely looked at the other women, he wanted to dance with her.
"That was then", she thought, "After everything that has happened, he's certainly not happy with me, right about now."
She remembered what happened in the escher room. Jareth had looked so exhausted and sad.
"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"
Sarah broke into sobs as guilt stabbed her.
"I wouldn't blame him if he was furious with me", she thought, "I broke his heart, I used him, I was ungrateful, I always wanted more, I said the words that broke his powers for who knows how many years or maybe even worse and I would've been happier with him."
She drank another glass of wine, quickly this time. She didn't care. Getting drunk now seemed the best thing to do.
"All this for nothing", she thought, "Toby only got to live nine years and I lost Jareth."
She drank another glass of wine, and another...
"He would've taken care of him. Toby would be alive. And I would be in the Underground with Jareth", she thought, "Sure I was just sixteen and I didn't really know him, but I would've been happier in the Underground. Now I might never get to know him. Sure he's easily ill-tempered, but a king must be respected and obeyed. There is laws and rules in this world. Politicians, sovereigns, police. Rules and laws are there for the greater good. But I guess I was a rebel when I was sixteen. I didn't care about respecting him, obeying him, his laws and rules. I only took what I wanted to take because I was selfish and spoiled. he gave me everything that I wanted and never asked for anything in return. He loved me and he just wanted me to stay with him, but I rejected him because I was too young to understand my feelings and I took for granted the generous part of him, while I didn't accept the fact that a sovereign must be respected and obeyed. Like most people, I was afraid to give someone so much control over my life. But I guess I was just too young to understand the whole sovereign and royalty thing", she thought.
Suddenly, words echoed in her mind.
"I will be your slave."
Her eyes widened.
"He saw me like an equal", she thought, "He was a slave to his love for me."
Outside, the thunder rumbled, lightnings tore the sky, the rain came in giant drops, making a thunderous sound on the tiled roof. A storm. She let the memories filled her as she looked outside, standing by the window. But there was no owl this time. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.
Jareth was in his study, looking at the labyrinth outside. Another challenger, another quester into the labyrinth. She was as young as Sarah was when she had defeated the labyrinth. The girl had wished her three years old sister away to the goblins. The three years old girl was terrified when she saw him and the goblins. The poor child was crying and the goblins weren't helping. He yelled at them to get out of the throne room. They weren't evil, but their curiosity and the way they were staring at the child and poking at her had terrified her. Since Toby and even before that, children had been rarely wished away. For a whole century, only two or three of them had been wished away into Jareth's care. After the goblins got out of the throne room, he conjured a crystal and gave it to the little girl so she could play with it. But she was too scared to even look at it and she was crying even more. Jareth sighed and thought about casting a sleep spell on her, but magic is unpredictable and he didn't want to harm the child. He swept the crying little girl into his arms. He made shushing sounds to calm her.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, child", he said softly.
"Monsters", she sobbed out.
"No. Harmless, but curious goblins. They will not hurt you, I promise", he said.
"Where mama? Want mama", she said.
He turned away so she wouldn't see the expression on his face. He looked sad like he was going to cry. How was he suppose to explain to a three years old girl that her sister wouldn't make it through the labyrinth? That she will never see her mother ever again because of her? That she will soon belong to a fae couple who will adopt her? He regained his composure. He wished she could be a bit younger so she wouldn't be able to talk and ask those questions. He felt the urge to run out of the throne room, but he was the powerful goblin king and he couldn't leave her there all alone. He had to lie to her, but he didn't want it to be a complete lie. He would explain everything when she would be older.
"Your mama didn't have enough money to feed you, so she gave you another mama. You will meet her tomorrow", he said.
The child stopped crying and nodded.
"Mama good", she said.
"Yes", he said, "She's kind and she loves you. She want you to be loved and taken care of."
She nodded. He was not really lying. The child was skinny and it was obvious that the mother was poor.
"Now, sleep, sweet child", he said.
He craddled her little, skinny body and sang a lullaby to her. The magic and charm of his fae voice lulled her to sleep. He looked at the clock near his throne. It had thirteen hours on it. There was twenty-six hours in a day, in the Underground. The girl's sister only had five hours left. He gave the sleeping girl to a servant, the elf maiden, and asked her to watch over the child. he conjured a crystal. The girl's sister didn't make it very far during those eight hours. He sighed sadly.
"How come some people are selfish enough to wish children away?", he thought, "At least, Sarah had fought for her brother, that girl is not even trying."
Sarah. His thoughts always came back to sarah. He felt both angry and sad. Everything that she had wanted, he had done. He had exhausted himself to live up to her expectations of him. But it wasn't enough, it was never enough. She had denied his generosity and she had rejected him, causing him so much pain that it had been unbearable. But he was deeply in love with her, couldn't stop thinking about her. He was immortal, he would wait for her 'til she call for him. Yes, she had broken his heart and she had rejected him. But she was just a child at that time. She had been too young to understand love, she only had fairytale romances in mind and she had been too young to understand those feelings and those grown-up things. He had frightened her with his love for her, his sensuality, his promises of unspoken passion. He understood that. She had been too young at that time. He couldn't hold it against her. He would wait patiently 'til she call for him.
Past quotes, words spoken by telepathy, inner voice and dreams are in italiques. Books contains are in blackfaces.
Just so anyone could understand my fanfic and the sylph thing, there's little magpie's analysis:
I found an article Little Magpie's Analysis which found surprizing similarities between Jareth and sylphs (folklore beings similar to angels.).
1) “Sylphs are beings of wide-open spaces and the air. They are responsible for the myths of "angels". Sylphs can control the weather. Notice how the weather became stormier when Sarah was in the park as Jareth watched her reciting her words from the book. Also, it stormed more severely when Jareth appeared to Sarah in the nursery.
2) Sylphs can shape-shift into bird form. Jareth transformed into an owl.
3) Sylphs are airy in character, and can control their element, or exhibit characteristics of it. Notice that it was often windy or breezy when Jareth was present. On the hilltop with Sarah, it was very windy, and the wind stopped when Jareth disappeared. The climactic confrontation scene was also windy.
4) Jareth could literally vanish into thin air.
5) Sylphs are delicate and ethereal in appearance, even angelic. Jareth did have a delicate beauty about him.
6) In the scene in which Hoggle was about to dump the peach into the Bog, he heard Jareth's voice and immediately looked skyward. It was as if he knew Jareth was in the air somewhere. Also, Jareth's voice was an echo.
7) Sylphs can aid in the art of scrying (divining the future through shiny objects such as mirrors or crystal balls). Jareth offered to show Sarah her dreams through crystals.
8) “Wilder sylphs are intense and direct, like the birds of prey they resemble. They soar endlessly through the skies, looking for something to attract their interests and allow them to prove their worth.” Very accurate description of Jareth, I should think, right down to the bird of prey (in his case, the relatively non-threatening barn owl).
9) “Sylphs are active, energetic, quick of movement and of speech, subtle, clever, intelligent, persuasive, but at times mocking and superficial. They are light complexioned, with light brown or dark blond hair, usually. Their eyes tend to be blue or grey. They may come in either male or female form, but have a slight preference for the male body. They usually appear in bodies that are only partially formed and transparent, but when they assume human shape they are thin, not muscular, with long arms and legs, deep chests, usually short hair. Their touch feels very human and normal. Their faces tend to be angular. Sylphs are helpful when trying to accomplish matters that involve the intellect or products of the intellect, such as works of art, letters, books, ideas, religious dogmas, political manifestos, or the persuasion of others through ideas. There is little danger in evoking Sylphs, but they have a mild contempt for human beings and will lie very convincingly when it suits their purposes. Be vigilant against deception when dealing with them".
10) "Sylphs develop an intense affection and devotion for the humans they serve (this is traditionally not always something sexual or romantic), and Jareth did have an intense affection for Sarah (whom he felt bound to, and, in his case, he did have a romantic interest in Sarah)."
11) "Sylphs teach that action follows thought. Jareth seemed to show Sarah on more than one occasion that he did everything she wanted and expected, whether she realized it or not, and that he would manifest her thoughts for her benefit or her detriment.
12) Sylphs are fond of children and anything young. Jareth was very gentle with Toby. (I personally doubt he would have actually turned the child into a goblin; he really wanted Sarah. Also, taking Toby may have been another way to show Sarah that her thoughts would have consequences.)
Labyrinth fanfiction:
Title: Healing and love
Pen name: Moonyismyprotector
Pairing: Jareth/Sarah
M for mature
Type: Angst, NC-17, mary sue.
Number of chapters (19 for now, it might change):
Chapter 1: The past
Chapter 2: Never the same
Chapter 3: Trying to live a normal life
Chapter 4: Sorrow and anger
Chapter 5: Lost and lonely
Chapter 6: It hurts too much
Chapter 7: Healing
Chapter 8: The castle beyond the goblin city
Chapter 9: Dealing with feelings and emotions
Chapter 10: Dear friends
Chapter 11: The Underground's wonders
Chapter 12: How Didymus became a knight
Chapter 13: Enemies
Chapter 14: Nightmares
Chapter 15: Selena
Chapter 16: My love
Chapter 17: War
Chapter 18: Wedding
Chapter 19: Happily ever after
Summary: Sarah lost everything and everyone, she think Jareth will never come back to her. She's so desperate that she attempt suicide. Jareth save her, bring her to his castle and help her heal, pushing her slowly to open up to him. Sarah finally admit her love for him.
Characters:
Jareth: Fae king of the goblins. Jareth is also the king of dreams. Any blind people can see that. He can manipulate them and he has complete power over them. In my fanfic some other fae (mostly sylphs) can do that, but they are no match for Jareth who has supreme power over the dreams because he's the king of dreams. He's in love with Sarah. After eight years Sarah and him are reunited.
Sarah Williams: No need to describe her. I hate that girl. She's such a cruel heartbreaker in the movie, as well as spoiled, selfish and ungrateful of any generosity, she always wanted more. As you write a fanfiction, as WE write a fanfiction, we hold the fate of the characters in the palm of our hand. It is such a sweet revenge to make her feel so guilty about what she did that it is eating into her... That's what she deserve for the pain she caused him. You are no match for me Sarah as I'm choosing, writing and creating your fate. Be glad I gave you hapiness with him, you don't deserve it and he deserve so much better than you... In my fanfic, she's twenty-four, after eight years Jareth and her are reunited. I still wonder why I permitted that... Maybe that's because he love her and no other.
Ailyn: One of Jareth's servants and an elf maiden.
Paralda: What? You never heard of Paralda? I suggest you don't say her name aloud without thinking or without a good reason to do so, that would be disrespectful and saying her name aloud would give you complete power over her because she's a spirit of nature or faerie being, and you have no right to do that. Her protection, favors and friendship are not to be taken for granted. Paralda really exist and she's the sylph queen, the ruler of the air spirits. As there are various kind of spirits of nature or faerie beings (just like the guardian angels and the 82 angels working on various domains), there are spirits of nature or faerie beings for the four elements: Air, water, fire and ground. According to Brian Fround Jareth is a fae. It is obvious that he's either tuatha de danaan or Sidhe and part sylph. The fireys are obviously spirits of fire and Ludo, even If we always see him in animal form is without doubt a spirit of earth because he has complete power over the earth element and can summon the very rock. Just because they are spirits of nature (faerie beings) doesn't mean they can't be quite material...
Ludo: He look like a yeti. He must be a fae too or part fae. Earth spirit obviously, he can summon the very rock.
Sir Didymus: A fox knight. He knows the bridge stayed intact for a thousand year, so he's possibly part fae and immortal too. His loyal steed is a sheepdog named Ambrosius. Sir Didymus, in my fanfic, is the most loyal subject of king Jareth. He has sworn to fight the enemies of his king to the death and defend him against anyone who would dare to speak ill of him. Didymus is angry with Hoogle who's often speaking of Jareth as If he's a monster. I just love Didymus and he's a very loyal and brave knight, so I wanted him to stand up for Jareth. Someone (or something) must do this, too many people see Jareth as a monster when clearly he's a shade of grey like the rest of us.
Hoggle: Hoggle is another friend of Sarah, he's a dwarf and he just love jewels. He's constantly speaking ill of Jareth and the two of them are not really on good terms. It is the reason why Hoggle and Didymus are constantly about to brawl, Didymus being Jareth's most loyal subject and Hoggle not being on good terms with the king.
Selena: She's a fifteen years old human teenager and a warrior girl, she was adopted by a fae couple when she was one. She was wished away to the goblins, Jareth gave her a family. Selena has eternal gratitude and fierce loyalty toward Jareth. She will fight beside Jareth against his enemies during the war. She'll become the royal advisor for Jareth and Sarah.
Funny facts:
As I was typing this fanfiction I was listening to "Beautiful stranger", by Madonna. This song would make an excellent labyrinth music video. I can't believe how much it is relate to Labyrinth. It is a coincidence of course, but it describe Jareth from Sarah's point of view:
Beautiful Stranger, Madonna:
Haven't we met
You're some kind of beautiful stranger
You could be good for me
I have a taste for danger
If I'm smart then I'll run away
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay
Heaven forbid
I take my chance on a beautiful stranger
I Look into your eyes
And my world came tumbling down
You're the devil in disguise
That's why I'm singing this song
To know you
Is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
To love you
Is to be part of you
I wait for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
If I'm smart then I'll run away
But I'm not so I guess I'll stay
Haven't you heard
I fell in love with a beautiful stranger
I look into your face
My heart was dancing all over the place
I'd like to change my point of view
If I could just forget about you
To know you
Is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
I look into your eyes
And my world came tumbling down
You're the devil in disguise
That's why I'm singing this song to you
To know you
is to love you
You're everywhere I go
And everybody knows
I wait for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
Da da da da da da da da
Da da da da da
Beautiful stranger
But then again, everytime I hear a song, I go check the lyrics to see If it could be relate to Labyrinth or one of the character, even if it is a coincidence.
It's my first fanfic, so since I'm not really good with words sometimes, I copied some lines from other fanfics just to express correctly what I wanted to say.
Life lessons in Labyrinth:
- What's said is said:
You can't take back what you said. An equivalent of what's done is done. You can't take it back.
- Don't take anything for granted:
It is not a good thing to do, things can turn out to be worse and you can lose what you took for granted.
Things aren't always what they seems:
Got that right
- The way forward is sometimes the way back:
You must face the past and accept it in order to go on.
- If that's the way it must be done, then that's the way you must do it:
No need to explain this one. It says everything. Things must be done the way they must be done.
- Quite often, it seems like we're not getting anywhere when in fact, we are:
Never had a truer word. Althought I have the feeling that I'm certainly not getting anywhere at the moment.
Be careful what you wish for:
It's true, but I don't really care. I wished myself away quite often, it can't be worse than this world and my life certainly can't get any worse.
Please Ariel, If I suck, feel free to throw rotten peaches at me, I'll be more than honored...
Chapter 1: The past
Jareth was pacing the throne room. He couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. She had rejected him and his offer. He sat on his throne and tried to focus his mind on something else, but her words echoed in his mind.
"What have you done that's generous?"
He'd done everything that she wanted, he'd been what she wanted him to be. A villain, that's what she'd wanted him to be. Of course, Jareth wasn't evil. He never harmed or killed anyone, unless he had no choice because a life was threaten or his kingdom was at stake. He wasn't completely good either. More like a shade of grey. He was very fair with his subjects and althought he rarely showed it, he was feeling a great deal of compassion and affection for each and every one of them. Sighing, he conjured a crystal and looked into it. He saw Sarah talking to a friend and laughing.
"Oh my sweet Sarah", he thought, "Did you forget about me?".
The goblins were in the throne room and just like they always do, they were making a lot of noise.
"Out!", he yelled.
The goblins ran out of the throne room as fast as they could. They were mostly stupid, but they knew that it wasn't wise to disobey a direct order from their king. Still looking into the crystal, he didn't notice someone standing a few feet away from him.
"My poor brother. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Jareth looked at the fae woman.
"Orchidea", his expression turned cold, "Stay out of this."
Anyone else would've run out of the throne room, just like the goblins did. Not Orchidea.
"Jareth, please, listen to me", she said.
Jareth flashed her a dangerous look.
"Leave", he said.
But she didn't move.
"You know how much I love you, brother. I can't bear to see you suffer", she said.
"I'm fine", he said arrogantly.
"No, you're not", she said softly, "Is there anything I can do to ease your pain? I know you love the mortal woman. There's always hope, Jareth."
His expression softened. He loved his sister as much as she loved him, but he hated to show any emotion. For him, emotions were weaknesses to a king.
"Sarah rejected me and made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want to have anything to do with me", he said in a tone devoid of any emotion.
"There's always hope. Things can change", she said.
"She's perfectly happy without me", he said.
"But clearly, you are not happy without her", she said sadly.
"I let her go and I will not bring her here against her will. I can't even go to her unless she wish herself away or call my name. I can only watch over her in owl form or see how she is into my crystals", he said.
For a split minute, he didn't say a word. Then, he turned to his sister.
"If she really want to see me, she'll call me to her, she'll call my name", he said.
He left the throne room and entered his bedchamber. He sat on the window-sill and looked at the labyrinth outside. A sad sigh escaped him.
"For her, it was only a game. Even the ballroom and my declaration of love", he thought.
He slipped under the bed sheets and closed his eyes. But the escher room events with Sarah were now in his nightmares and that was a restless night. When he woke up in the morning, he was exhausted, but he had a kingdom to run. He had no choice but to get up. He vanished and reappeared in the throne room. He sended the goblins back to their duty, then he went to his study. He had paperwork to do.
"Brainless goblins to rule and politics to top it all", he thought, disgusted.
Even if he had affection for his subjects, goblins were mostly brainless and if he hadn't been there to rule them, they wouldn't have survived. They needed a ruler for their own sake because they were lost without leadership. All they cared about was sleeping, eating and getting drunk. Then, they were making a mess out of the throne room and he had to clean behind them, using his magic, while the drunk goblins were stupidly singing drinking songs or stuff like "For he's a jolly good fellow". Then he had to wait 'til they were sober again to send them back to their duty. At least they were fiercely loyal.
"And I thought I had to focus my mind on anything but Sarah", he murmured.
When he was done with the paperwork, he went to a window, turned into a barn owl and flew toward the labyrinth. He wanted to watch over Sarah for a little while. The wonderful sensation of the wind caressing him quietened his mind for a moment.
Chapter 2: Never the same
Sarah Williams was twenty four years old and she had her own appartment. Things had changed since her adventure into the labyrinth, eight years ago. She was still a bit of a dreamer and a part of her knew that her adventure had been real. But she knew that she was an adult who should keep both feet on the ground because she had responsibilities. She had a great job, she was selling houses. In her free time, she was visiting her father, karen and Toby. Toby was nine years old and sometimes, he was telling Sarah about strange dreams he had, mentioning small creatures, a song and a strange looking man. Sarah was worried. He was just one year old when she had wished him away to the goblins and she didn't want him to know that everything was her fault because he would hate her. She had a great friend, her name was Amy. She hadn't been the same since her adventure into the labyrinth, but her life was okay. She was cleaning the house when she found a box in her wardrobe. She opened it and the first thing she saw was a drawing of Jareth she had drew after her adventure into the labyrinth. She snatched the drawing and looked at it. There was so much sadness and exhaustion in those eyes! Why did she draw him with that look in his eyes?! She remembered how cold his voice was, the mocking look in his eyes, his cruel smile. But she didn't remember seeing Jareth sad or exhausted. Words echoed in her mind.
"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"
Her eyes widened. Flashbacks hitted her. A room full of staircases, a feathery white cape, a crystal ball.
"Look Sarah. Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams." "I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want."
Sarah stiffened.
"He would've sended Toby home If I had asked him to do so", she thought, "This was never about Toby. He wanted me to stay."
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."
The average things asked by a king.
"That's not as terrible as it seemed to be", she thought.
"Mismatched eyes. That's just so rare, maybe even unique. One calm blue, the other a warm hazel", she murmured.
Rummaging in the box, she found a diary. She began to read.
"Dear diary, that was such an adventure! I had thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth and get Toby back. Why was I selfish enough to wish him away in the first place? Sure I feel bad about it, but I don't regret it because If I hadn't I wouldn't have been transported to the Underground and I would not be talking about this wonderful adventure right now. I have three wonderful friends. Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus. I can't stop thinking about Jareth. He wasn't that bad really. He didn't hurt any of us. Yes, there was the drugged peach, but hey, no harm done and the effects wore off a short while after. As for the cleaners, he was probably trying to frighten me because of my "piece of cake" comment and he sended them where there was an escape. Seriously, the attempts on my life were clumsy If not laughable. I remember the ballroom, I remember dancing with Jareth as he sang softly to me. He was so nice, soft and romantic. Oh my gosh, he's so beautiful. I wonder why I didn't notice before. Maybe I was more comfortable with him casted in the role of the villain. Oh my gosh, so beautiful. Wild blond hair falling around him in soft delicate wisps, mismatched eyes, one calm blue, the other a warm hazel. A generous mouth that could compress to a thin, cruel line. How soft his lips look. I wonder how earth shattering it would be to feel them against my own..."
Sarah flushed bright red and shut the diary.
"That was years ago", she reminded herself, "I was just sixteen. I was curious. He fascinated me, yes, but I've never been in love with him."
She rummaged in the box again and she found drawings of her friends. One of them was a drawing of Sir Didymus. He was so cute. Sarah smiled happily. He was the cuttest and bravest small creature she'd ever met. When she was done with cleaning the house, she paid a visit to her family and spended some time with Toby. They were in the park and Toby was playing. He wanted Sarah to play with him, but she was lost in her thoughts. She remembered rehearsing lines from the labyrinth book in this park, she remembered the barn owl watching her, perched on a stone pillar. She remembered everything. The storm, her stepmother complaining, babysitting Toby, wishing him away to the goblins, meeting Jareth for the very first time. He had been in her father's room, standing by the window, looking so proud and arrogant, but gosh, so beautiful. She felt someone tugging at her sleeve. She looked at Toby, a bit confused.
"Come on, sis! Come and play with me", he said enthousiastically.
"Okay, Tobe", she said with a grin.
After supper, she called her friend, Amy, and they agreed to go to a party organized by some of Amy's friends. The party was late that evening, so they talked about the average stuff; job, family, gossips. But Sarah couldn't stop thinking about Jareth.
"Why the hell can't I stop thinking about him?!", she thought, "I barely know him. I just know he's not really bad, because he never harmed me, Toby or any of my friends, though he threaten Hoggle. But gosh, he's so beautiful and he can be so soft and romantic."
"Sarah?", Amy said.
"Huh?", Sarah asked.
She looked at Amy and she felt dumb.
"You weren't listening to what I was saying. Is there something wrong?", Amy said.
"No. I'm fine", Sarah said.
"Well, the party is at nine. Let's go", Amy urged.
They were gone. When Sarah came back home, she was very tired. She took her keys and unlocked the door. She didn't notice the barn owl perched in a nearby tree. She turned the light off and went to bed right away. She had the curious impression that someone or something was watching her from outside the house. She chased the thought away and fell asleep. She was dreaming about Jareth.
Chapter 3: Trying to live a normal life
Sarah got up early that morning to go to work. But she was so distracted by her thoughts that she could hardly concentrate on what she was doing. Because of that, her boss missed a very good offer and he was not happy about it. By the end of the day, he decided to fire her. He couldn't keep an employee who was daydreaming all the time.
"I'm really sorry, Sarah, but I took my decision", he said.
"But that's so unfair!", she said.
"I'm sorry", he said.
Then, he left. Sarah went home and sat down. She was angry.
"It's all your fault, Jareth", she thought, "Why are you always on my mind?"
Someone knocked on the door. A glimpse of hope illuminated Sarah's eyes.
"No way", she thought, "Since when does he knock?"
She went to the door and opened it. It was Amy.
"We need to talk", Amy said.
Sarah led the way and sat down. Amy joined her.
"Our boss is not very happy, apparently. He told me that he fired you", Amy said.
"That, he did", Sarah said, grumpy.
"what's wrong, Sarah?", Amy asked a rather angry Sarah.
"Nothing's wrong", Sarah said.
"You're always daydreaming and you have that faraway look in your eyes. Is there something you're not telling me?", Amy asked.
"I can't talk about it", Sarah said with a "end of the conversation" look.
"Fine. I'm sick and tired of this, Sarah. I can't hang out with a person who's daydreaming, uncapable to keep her job. And that might be rude to tell you that right now, especially after what just happened to you, but I have bad news for you", Amy said.
"And what would that be?", Sarah asked.
"This afternoon, your father, karen and Toby were killed by a gang of criminals and your grandmother called me to tell me. She'll take care of the funeral and everything. Now, If you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than hanging out with a dreamer", Amy said.
Sarah fought back the tears.
"I thought you were my friend", she said.
"I was", Amy said before heading out of the house.
Once the door was closed, Sarah fell on her knees and broke into sobs. Why did she had to lose everything and everyone? She cried 'til she could cry no more, then she sat down. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she didn't care.
Jareth saw the whole scene into his crystal. When he saw Amy, who pretended to be Sarah's friend, treating her like that, he was rather furious.
"Too bad I can't interfere whenever I please in the Aboveworld. I would teach this mortal a lesson. I would scare her out of her wits", he thought.
When he saw Sarah sobbing, he felt as if his was heart breaking. A single tear escaped him.
"Oh why don't you call my name, my sweet love? I would be there for you. It's the only way", he thought.
He was in the library, sitting on the window sill, looking at the labyrinth outside. He remembered the ballroom and wondered if he would get to dance with sarah again someday, when a servant burst through the door. It was a young elf maiden. She bowed.
"Forgive me, your highness", she said, "But the goblins are making a mess out of your throne room."
She left.
"Story of my life", Jareth said with a sigh.
He left for the throne room. After putting some goblins to their place, he went to his study. He was angry and sad. He wanted to be left alone for a little while.
Sarah wiped her tears away, she went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. She looked miserable. She remembered what happened with a mirror a long time ago and she tried to call her friends, but it didn't work.
"Maybe it doesn't work with any mirror. Maybe mine was special", she thought, "Maybe my mirror was a connexion between both world, or Jareth putted a spell on it."
The phone rang and she answered the call. It was her grandmother. She didn't have to worry about anything. Her grandmother told her to rest and take care of herself.
"Honnestly, Sarah, dear,", she said, "You're going through so much pain and hardships. Your life would be so much easier if you weren't alone. You need a man in your life, my dear."
"Yeah", she thought gloomily as she sat down, "But the man I love, or think that I love, forgot about me."
She took her diary and kept reading it.
"Dear diary, I can't stop thinking about him. I'm always wondering, what is he doing? How is he? I didn't get to know him because I was in a hurry and I only had thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth. There's so much things I'd like to know about him. Hopes, dreams, secret desires, what he likes or hates... I saw the barn owl when I came back home. I know I didn't destroy him. He's alive somewhere. My bet is that he lost his magic for a while, but I'm sure he'll get it back. I'm so glad he's okay. I had to say the words. I didn't want to. Maybe that's why I couldn't say that last line. Not because I didn't remember, because it was second thoughts. But I did it. I only did it for Toby. I miss my friends terribly. I called to them, but they didn't come."
"Maybe I did this the wrong way. I tried to contact them since the party and it didn't work", she thought.
She punched the wall as tears fell down her cheeks. Why did she have to lose her family? Sure, she didn't get along with Karen, but now, they would never have a chance to get along. And after everything she'd been through to get Toby back and appreciate him more, poor Toby only got to live nine years.
"I should've let Jareth keep him. He would've done anything for me. He wouldn't have turned Toby into a goblin If I had asked him not to", she thought as guilt stabbed her, "And I should've stayed in the Underground with him."
And her father, she just wished she could've talked to him and set things right between them. She was sick and tired of crying, but she was unable to stop. She was crushed.
No one can blame you from walking away. Too much rejection, no love injection. Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cause it hurts like hell...
She was exhausted and she fell asleep on the couch.
She was in the labyrinth, the wind caressing her cheeks, a beautiful sunset illuminating the sky. She felt soft leather brushing against her arm. Jareth was there. He was the same, so very beautiful. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't move. For a moment, they didn't say anything.With Jareth's arms around her waist and the wind caressing her face, she was suddenly filled with inner peace. Jareth released her, slowly raised his hand and tenderly caressed her cheek. He looked as sad and weary as he had been in the escher room.
"There is so much pain within you, Sarah", he said sadly.
His voice was so soft, it brushed against her ear like velvet. Sarah looked away, suddenly sad.
"Too good to be true", she said, "I know I'm dreaming."
He cupped her face gently in his hands.
"Does it matters? Enjoy it", he said.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"You're strong, Sarah. Stronger than you could possibly imagine. I know you. Have faith in yourself", he whispered in her ear.
He caressed her cheek again. Sarah looked into his mismatched eyes and saw so much love that it took her breath away. She savored the caress of soft leather against her cheek. Then he pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to hers. There was such tenderness in that kiss that she felt her heartbeat quicken.
She woke up. She touched her lips with her fingers and her eyes widened.
"It was just a dream", she murmured, "Nothing but a dream."
She could still feel the sensation of his lips against hers. Her cat was sleeping on the couch, beside her. The cat yawned and stretched.
"Oh, at least I have you, Crystal", she said with a sigh.
The cat looked at her, purring.
"Maybe fresh air will do me some good", she thought, "That dream seemed so real."
She went out for a walk, but she avoided the park. She didn't want to think about the death of her brother and their parents right now.
Chapter 4: Sorrow and anger
Sarah sat on a bench and tried to think about anything but Jareth and the death of her family. But the more she tried to forget about Jareth, the more he was on her mind.
"This is ridiculous", she thought, "Sure I feel something for him, but this isn't love. It can't be love. I don't even know him."
"You don't have to", said her inner voice, "You know you want to spend the rest of your life with him. Running out of the ballroom, away from him, was the hardest thing you've ever been through."
"Oh, that's enough!", she hissed to herself.
"If you're not in love with him, why are you obsessed with him?", asked her inner voice.
"Not obsessed", she whispered angrily.
"Oh really?", said her inner voice, "Prove it. Say that you don't love him."
"I... I...", she murmured.
"See? You can't even say it! Can't deny it! You're in love with him!", said her inner voice in a mocking tone.
She went home. She was furious.
"I'm so not discussing with myself", she thought. She drank a glass of wine very slowly.
"I won't lose my sanity", she tried to reassure herself.
"That's all that's left for you", said her inner voice gloomily.
"Oh, shut up!", she hissed.
She was furious with herself.
"I've suffered and I've suffered enough", she thought, "I won't allow anyone else into my life."
She sat down and she felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Then why would I do anything to see him right in front of me?", she thought.
So many emotions filled her that she felt an aching burn inside her. Anger, sadness, despair, hope, fear.
"He's just too proud and too arrogant to show up", she thought, "Or he's mad at me and he hates me. Or even worse. He never truly loved me and he was just toying with me."
But deep down, she knew it wasn't true. Sure he had toyed with her a bit in the ballroom, playing cat and mouse, but she had wanted this too.
"Everything that you have wanted, I have done."
On the other hand, she knew he really felt the feelings he had expressed through his behavior and the song he had sang to her. He had barely looked at the other women, he wanted to dance with her.
"That was then", she thought, "After everything that has happened, he's certainly not happy with me, right about now."
She remembered what happened in the escher room. Jareth had looked so exhausted and sad.
"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"
Sarah broke into sobs as guilt stabbed her.
"I wouldn't blame him if he was furious with me", she thought, "I broke his heart, I used him, I was ungrateful, I always wanted more, I said the words that broke his powers for who knows how many years or maybe even worse and I would've been happier with him."
She drank another glass of wine, quickly this time. She didn't care. Getting drunk now seemed the best thing to do.
"All this for nothing", she thought, "Toby only got to live nine years and I lost Jareth."
She drank another glass of wine, and another...
"He would've taken care of him. Toby would be alive. And I would be in the Underground with Jareth", she thought, "Sure I was just sixteen and I didn't really know him, but I would've been happier in the Underground. Now I might never get to know him. Sure he's easily ill-tempered, but a king must be respected and obeyed. There is laws and rules in this world. Politicians, sovereigns, police. Rules and laws are there for the greater good. But I guess I was a rebel when I was sixteen. I didn't care about respecting him, obeying him, his laws and rules. I only took what I wanted to take because I was selfish and spoiled. he gave me everything that I wanted and never asked for anything in return. He loved me and he just wanted me to stay with him, but I rejected him because I was too young to understand my feelings and I took for granted the generous part of him, while I didn't accept the fact that a sovereign must be respected and obeyed. Like most people, I was afraid to give someone so much control over my life. But I guess I was just too young to understand the whole sovereign and royalty thing", she thought.
Suddenly, words echoed in her mind.
"I will be your slave."
Her eyes widened.
"He saw me like an equal", she thought, "He was a slave to his love for me."
Outside, the thunder rumbled, lightnings tore the sky, the rain came in giant drops, making a thunderous sound on the tiled roof. A storm. She let the memories filled her as she looked outside, standing by the window. But there was no owl this time. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.
Jareth was in his study, looking at the labyrinth outside. Another challenger, another quester into the labyrinth. She was as young as Sarah was when she had defeated the labyrinth. The girl had wished her three years old sister away to the goblins. The three years old girl was terrified when she saw him and the goblins. The poor child was crying and the goblins weren't helping. He yelled at them to get out of the throne room. They weren't evil, but their curiosity and the way they were staring at the child and poking at her had terrified her. Since Toby and even before that, children had been rarely wished away. For a whole century, only two or three of them had been wished away into Jareth's care. After the goblins got out of the throne room, he conjured a crystal and gave it to the little girl so she could play with it. But she was too scared to even look at it and she was crying even more. Jareth sighed and thought about casting a sleep spell on her, but magic is unpredictable and he didn't want to harm the child. He swept the crying little girl into his arms. He made shushing sounds to calm her.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, child", he said softly.
"Monsters", she sobbed out.
"No. Harmless, but curious goblins. They will not hurt you, I promise", he said.
"Where mama? Want mama", she said.
He turned away so she wouldn't see the expression on his face. He looked sad like he was going to cry. How was he suppose to explain to a three years old girl that her sister wouldn't make it through the labyrinth? That she will never see her mother ever again because of her? That she will soon belong to a fae couple who will adopt her? He regained his composure. He wished she could be a bit younger so she wouldn't be able to talk and ask those questions. He felt the urge to run out of the throne room, but he was the powerful goblin king and he couldn't leave her there all alone. He had to lie to her, but he didn't want it to be a complete lie. He would explain everything when she would be older.
"Your mama didn't have enough money to feed you, so she gave you another mama. You will meet her tomorrow", he said.
The child stopped crying and nodded.
"Mama good", she said.
"Yes", he said, "She's kind and she loves you. She want you to be loved and taken care of."
She nodded. He was not really lying. The child was skinny and it was obvious that the mother was poor.
"Now, sleep, sweet child", he said.
He craddled her little, skinny body and sang a lullaby to her. The magic and charm of his fae voice lulled her to sleep. He looked at the clock near his throne. It had thirteen hours on it. There was twenty-six hours in a day, in the Underground. The girl's sister only had five hours left. He gave the sleeping girl to a servant, the elf maiden, and asked her to watch over the child. he conjured a crystal. The girl's sister didn't make it very far during those eight hours. He sighed sadly.
"How come some people are selfish enough to wish children away?", he thought, "At least, Sarah had fought for her brother, that girl is not even trying."
Sarah. His thoughts always came back to sarah. He felt both angry and sad. Everything that she had wanted, he had done. He had exhausted himself to live up to her expectations of him. But it wasn't enough, it was never enough. She had denied his generosity and she had rejected him, causing him so much pain that it had been unbearable. But he was deeply in love with her, couldn't stop thinking about her. He was immortal, he would wait for her 'til she call for him. Yes, she had broken his heart and she had rejected him. But she was just a child at that time. She had been too young to understand love, she only had fairytale romances in mind and she had been too young to understand those feelings and those grown-up things. He had frightened her with his love for her, his sensuality, his promises of unspoken passion. He understood that. She had been too young at that time. He couldn't hold it against her. He would wait patiently 'til she call for him.