Timing, Ch 10 Labyrinth FF

A/N: The most troubling part of this dream for me was knowing where to end it. Yes, breaking it into parts (egads – three chapters!) was hard, but having to end it where it does… Let me know what you think!

Continues immediately where Chapter 9 left off


Jareth & Sarah

"So here I am, precious. Would you kindly enlighten me as to where this is?" Jareth was leading Sarah in a dance whose name she did not know, and that didn't bother her.

"Oh, well, it's, umm, I guess it's the Resplendent. It's on the Register. And I came here once a few years ago. A cousin got married, and had the reception here. I was old enough, just barely, to come. I don't even know if it really looks like this anymore." As she spoke the last sentence, the décor seemed to waver. Looking a little shocked, she raised a questioning eyebrow at Jareth and pulled away slightly.

He wasn't having any of that. Guiding her gently back into his arms, he reassured her. "For now, this is exactly how it looks. Right down to the ice sculpture of Hogshead."

"Hoggle," she corrected automatically, and then noticed his smile, while the room around them solidified again.  "You get his name wrong deliberately!"

He shrugged. "I've been misspeaking his name since he became gardener. It's as close as I can come, as King, to showing affection for an employee who shows such long-term dedication and loyalty."

She tensed some, and began to stammer out something that would probably have ended the dream far too soon. He shook his head at her.

"I knew that he had truly accepted you as a friend, and would fight on your side against my woefully ill-prepared and leaderless army."

She had watched his face carefully, hoping to see something to alleviate the worry on her friend's behalf. What she saw left her without words for a moment.

"You didn't deliberately let us walk into the City and rescue Toby?!"

He sighed. He had hoped to not have this conversation yet. On the other hand, getting it out of the way sooner could be quite beneficial.

"As I said before, I never intended any harm to come to you. I could not allow you to walk in unopposed, and the goblins were restless. Sending them against you, letting them think they were an army, will continue to keep them occupied for the next several years. There are epic songs and tales told of that encounter, bearing little resemblance to the facts. Several of them feature the exploits of Cockey-Lockey, the Rooster-General."

He had succeeded in diverting her slightly from her indignation, and in making her laugh. Such a sweet, silvery laugh.

"Wait, isn't Cockey-Lockey from the story of Chicken Little?" She asked in disbelief.

"Exactly. So now the goblins, and chickens, have a national hero that is no potential political threat to me, and one whom I can laud ceaselessly. I have resisted, however, allowing them to erect a monument to him."

Sarah laughed some more, even as she remembered the not-quite-asked question, which the Goblin King had yet to answer.

"Jareth, why didn't you put up more of an opposition to the rescue?"

She didn't really notice his quicksilver reaction to hearing her say his name. This was the first time she had uttered it in his hearing, perhaps the first time ever. It wasn't a deliberate utterance on her part. She was at ease, in her own dream, and didn't think about it. Just such an articulation to feed his hope. Possibly that hope made his own caution slip.

"I had already seen your determination, princess, and knew that you would stop at nothing to retrieve your brother. I couldn't afford the loss to my Kingdom that would have been required to stop you."

At the look on her face, confusion changing to disappointment to disgust, "So you what, gave up?!"

Not regretting his honest answer, he allowed some of his royal haughtiness to return. "Do you not remember Humongous? Or the traveling cannon-balls? Or the jousters? Or – "

"Okay. I get it. You did put up a fight, and I guess I'm grateful that you decided I wasn't worth it to –"

It was Jareth's turn to interrupt, his tone of voice a surprising blend of warmth and incontrovertible fact. "Sarah-love, never, EVER, imagine that I don't think you're worth every effort. Seeing your character from early on in your quest, I realized that your wish, however sincere in that single moment, was not indicative of yourself. You were tired and frustrated, and simply had not learned that there can be major consequences for simple actions." He paused, watching her face to see that she understood that he would brook no argument on this. "Now, in answer to another question lurking around, no, I haven't 'punished' your friends. Ludo had to help rebuild the bridge, which he found most uncomfortable because of the smell. Fortunately, with his ability to call rocks, it didn't take very long. He is now Officially Forgiven. Sir Didymus had to train the fighters that he defeated, well, encountered, for a period of time. That period ended a fortnight ago" (Sarah allowed herself a fleeting smile, as "fortnight" had recently become a favorite word of hers. Jareth thought the quick smile was due to her knight's having completed his work-debt.) "and enjoyed it so much that he's beginning a thorough review of the entire army. I doubt very much that any runner will have a chance ever again. Now, about your friend," he paused, "Hoggle. Hoggle has extra debt to work off, because he helped both of us. In lieu of making him Prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench, which is why he didn't want you to kiss him, he agreed to place that plastic bracelet on display in the Castle until the end of summer, where any goblins can look at it whenever they would like. He also has had to help repair Humongous."

"Do many goblins go to look at my bracelet?" Sarah asked, shrewdly.

Jareth smiled, slyly, his demeanor one of royal mischief, complete with a twinkle in his eye. "No. Most don't even know that the Castle has a gallery for display of such items. Those who do are the ones responsible for cleaning its floors, and so move through there as quickly as possible."

By now, Sarah was laughing again, realizing that Jareth was trying to make decisions that were just, and appropriate to his population. As she sighed to help catch her breath, the ballroom wavered again.

"Jareth?" There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice that might have been fear if she had doubted his presence.

"Shhh." He drew her in closer, as they slowed their dance. "Your dream is ending. You'll wake soon, or go to a different dream."

She held on closer. "I'd rather stay in this one. I like talking to you. And dancing with you. And besides…"

He was grateful that Sarah could no longer see his face. "Besides what?"

Sarah swallowed, then deciding to be honest because, after all, this was her dream, so what's the harm? "You didn't sing for me this time."

He held her more firmly, more securely, as they came to a standstill. "Soon. I'll sing for you soon, Sarah-love. And Sarah?"

She leaned back, because the tone of his voice called for her to look him in the eye. "Yes?"

"I'm glad that you invited me to your dream. Whenever you do, I will be honored to come. Your dreams are your world. Know that while I would never harm you anywhere, when I'm in your world, I'm limited even more in what I can do. While in your dreams, only by permission can I use magic. Other than protecting you, of course."

She was surprised, but accepted that at face value in that moment. Sarah knew that she would need to think through that later, but she also knew that she didn't want to lose this dream sooner.

"That sounds good, but…"

He smiled, "I know. You're not agreeing to anything yet."

He enfolded her again, as they watched the ballroom fade away. In the last moments, he whispered into her ear.

Sarah-mine…