Sarah didn�t remember a thing about the trip back into the Labyrinth. She supposed that she must�ve fallen asleep or passed out after such an entirely exhausting night. The room she woke in was positively beautiful. The bed in which she lay was an elegant canopy with thick blue drapes. When she opened them, she found she was staring at an extravagant set that included a wardrobe, a dresser and a desk. There was a striking painting of a young woman that looked just like Jareth over the door. Her blond locks were less unruly than those of the Goblin King and she was much neater in her appearance, but there was no mistaking the familial ties between the two. Until this moment, the thought that Jareth could have a family never even crossed her mind.
For several minutes, Sarah sat in silence; she just took in her extravagant surroundings. Her luck seemed to have completely turned around. The generosity she had received had certainly come from the most unexpected of places. Never had she thought that Jareth would be so eager to help her, and so kind. She still couldn�t believe that she was in control and, for once, Damien couldn�t hurt her. That was all thanks to the man she had once thought to be the villain. Life had taught her a great many lessons since she had traversed the Labyrinth. The most important of them was that there was no clear line between evil and good; they just existed and every being contained a bit of each. Her immature mind had determined Jareth to be one of those run of the mill fairy tale villains, but this whole experience had taught her differently. In fact, so had Damien.
A small smile crossed Sarah�s face. She was released from Damien. Yet, somewhere deep inside, she had this nagging feeling that this was a dream. One�s life just doesn�t turn around in the matter of a few minutes. Even if she were free from Damien for the rest of eternity, his ghost would always haunt her. In every man, she would see him. In every dark corner of every new room she walked into, she would fear him. Could there be anything so strong as to release her from that? The smile that had just appeared on her face slowly disappeared when she came to a realization. No. She would never be released.
In a desperate attempt to rid her mind of such depressing notions, Sarah decided that now would be a good time to get dressed. If nothing else, it would occupy her mind for at least a few moments. She assumed that Jareth had thought to take some of her clothing from her apartment, as someone had obviously changed her out of the torn and blood stained nightgown she had worn only hours ago.
Slowly, she made her way to the wardrobe. When she opened it, her eyes rested upon a single dress. It had to have been one of the most extravagant and gorgeous things she�d ever seen. There was a note pinned to the collar. In scrawled letters, it read, �I commissioned this for you last night. If it appears that you�ll be with us for any longer than a single day, I shall ensure that you have more. I hope you find it and your room to your liking. ~Jareth.�
Sarah gently unpinned the note and laid it on the dresser. The garment that hung before her was absolutely beautiful. It was a white dress with inch-wide straps that was meant to cling tightly to one�s torso and flare out at the hips. She could see lines of metal that ran down the length of the top portion, which indicated it was a corset. The skirt, on the other hand, flared out elegantly. Sarah gingerly removed the dress from the closet. She treated it as though even the smallest jostle or touch would shatter the delicate gown.
It took her several minutes to put on the dress. Every last inch of the material fit perfectly, as though it truly had been made for no one in the world but her. All that was left to do was to cinch the corset, something that she knew from past experiences that she could not do alone.
Now that her mind was unoccupied, she was free to think again on the jumble of feelings in the pit of her stomach. She was nervous, even afraid that something would go wrong and Damien would consume her life again. And, at the same time, Sarah felt such elation at being freed from him. Yet this newfound freedom was not without its drawbacks. She would always fear that something would happen. Damien would always be in the back of her mind, reminding her that she belonged to him.
�No!� she cried aloud, though she hadn�t realized that she had opened her mouth. Sarah�s hand reached up to cover her face, which was now clean though still bruised and cut from the previous night.
It was simple, she decided. When she was not required to think of Damien, she would do whatever was necessary to keep him out of her mind. She would move in with Tessa and Katelin again, at least until she got back on her feet. They would keep her busy enough that she couldn�t worry that Damien would return for her. For now, she simply had to find things within the castle to do.
Sarah had just begun to brush her hair when a soft knock on the door interrupted her. �Come in,� she called quietly.
A beautiful and strangely familiar looking young blond woman walked into the room. �Hello, Sarah,� she said in a polite though commanding voice, as though she was raised to lead. �It is so good to finally meet you. I�ve heard quite a bit about you.�
�You�you�re the woman from the painting on the wall,� Sarah replied. She instantly felt stupid and rude. �I�m sorry.�
�Don�t be,� the woman said happily. �Indeed I am the woman in the painting. My name is Lily. I am Jareth�s younger sister. Oh, here. Let me help you with that.� The princess positioned herself behind Sarah and began to tighten the corset.
�No, really, its alright,� the young mortal woman began, but it was too late. Lily had already begun to yank at the strings.
�No, really, dear. I insist on at least helping you with this. You�ve been through so much with that man. What a barbarian! You poor girl. Its so lucky that Jareth came when he did. That disgusting excuse for a man might�ve killed you.�
�I�yes, I am very grateful to his majesty,� Sarah said as Lily completed her work with the corset and began to magically style her hair. �Thank you, your highness.�
�Oh, do stop with the formalities. If we are to be friends, you must call me Li, or at the very least, Lily,� she said kindly, as though the two had known each other for years. The woman reminded Sarah of an excitable girl. A sad realization struck her. Lily must not have very many friends, as she obviously spends much of her time with the goblin halfwits.
�Now,� she said, which pulled Sarah from her thoughts. �Jareth wants to hold court with you this afternoon, directly after the three of us have lunch. Now don�t worry about protocol. No one will be in the throne room but Jareth, myself, the scribe, some witnesses and, unfortunately, Damien.�
�He-he�s going to be there?�
�Yes, but don�t you fret. He won�t be permitted to speak. You need not even look on him while you speak. It will be very simple. All will tell their sides of the story, including he but he will go last. Then Jareth will pass down his judgment, which I believe you will have a large hand in.�
Sarah sighed and looked at the floor as though it were one of the most interesting things in the world.
�Please, don�t look so sad, Sarah. You will never have to see him again after today,� Lily said with a smile as she put a comforting hand on Sarah�s shoulder. �Tonight, after all is done and over with, you and my brother can discuss what is next for you. Perhaps there are options that you have yet to see,� the woman said with a cryptic smile. �You know, Jareth is very fond of you. He�s told me so much over the last few years.�
This statement shocked Sarah a bit. She wasn�t expecting to be told that Jareth liked her and even spoke of her several times to his sister. �I don�t know what to say, your-Lily.�
Lily laughed. �You don�t have to say anything. Just keep that in mind when you and my brother discuss your options later.�
*
Lunch with the royal family of the Goblin Kingdom hadn�t been at all what Sarah expected. She thought that there would be servants everywhere to tend to the needs of Lily and Jareth. It turned out she was quite wrong. Once the servants had brought in a modest plate of breads, cheeses, meats and wine, they were not seen again until the plates were to be cleared.
It had also crossed her mind that Jareth would perhaps bring up her time in the Labyrinth, or even try to speak with her about what would happen in her not too distant future. Strangely, the conversation had been minimal. The three had fallen into a companionable silence more often than not. It gave Sarah time to think of things she would rather forget and she found herself occupying her mind with thoughts of Jareth.
After what Lily said earlier, Sarah had begun to regret her childish decisions during her last trip to the Labyrinth, even more than she had before. She felt truly bad for not seeing the meaning behind Jareth�s offer. If she could do anything to take it back, she would. Everything that he had done or tried to do for her in the last several hours proved him to be an amazing friend. Sarah would need that to get over everything that Damien had put her through.
�Sarah?� Jareth said with an amused smile on his face.
�Yes?� she replied. The young woman shot a confused look at Lily when she seemed to giggle.
�I�ve just called your name three or four times,� he said with a short laugh, but his amused face slowly gave way to an expressionless mask. �Come. It is time to begin.� His voice was grave. As he spoke, he extended an arm, which Sarah took appreciatively. She read it as a sign of friendship; that Jareth would protect her and be the stone on which she would lean during the next few hours.
Jareth lead the way through a part of the castle she had never seen. It seems most of what she laid her eyes upon was not what she expected it to be. Nothing was as she remembered it, if it was still here at all. They had barely left the dining room a moment or two ago, and she already felt lost in the huge castle. How Jareth and Lily could find their way around this place was beyond Sarah. She had a hard enough time trying to discover which direction they were headed that there was no chance of her remembering the path. Of course, she had not a single complaint about what occupied her mind, as it was anything but what she was on her way to do.
All too soon, the trio made it to the throne room. The chairs used for the audience Jareth held with some of his subjects once or twice a week were mostly removed. What was left was two chairs a level below the throne, a small wooden structure that contained the disgruntled mortal, Damien, and a row of chairs beside it. Sarah gave a gasp of surprise as she saw the two mortals that inhabited a couple of those chairs: Tessa and Katelin. The young woman forgot about any worries for protocol as she threw herself into the hugs of her two closest friends. Lily looked positively pleased with herself when she saw Sarah�s reaction; Jareth just smiled faintly, only so much that Lily caught his expression.
�Slut,� spat the man. �So you�ve done him already, have you bitch? When I get my hands on you��
With a wave of Jareth�s hands, the threat was cut off. What appeared to be bolts of lightning shot from the four corners of what the group now realized was a containment field, and struck Damien. He fell to his knees, crying out in pain. Jareth sneered. �I warned you of this early today, did I not, mortal? Be silent until you are spoken to or the pain you just felt will be little more than a tickle compared to what I will do to you.�
Damien glared at Jareth but said nothing. He was really in no position to do anything. Satisfied that the mortal would obey his commands, Jareth walked to where Sarah was. She looked fearfully at Damien, as though the man would break free from his small prison and kill her.
Jareth offered his hand to Sarah and she took it. He led her from the two mortals that he had brought here by his sister�s request. The king fell into step beside the young woman and whispered, �Let me worry about him. Just know this, he will never again, in this life or any other, hurt you. I will see to that personally.�
Sarah just offered him a small smile of appreciation. There were no words to express how thankful she was that Jareth watched over her. Unfortunately, it did not stop the fear. She knew all too well what Damien was capable of. She had felt it. Reassurances and control did not remove the imprint that it left.
The King of the Goblins led her to one of the two chairs on the level just below his throne. His sister occupied the other. After Sarah had sat down, he ascended the next couple of stairs to rest on his throne.
�Be seated,� he said, his voice rigid with duty and protocol. �I, Jareth, King of the Goblins, do charge this mortal, Damien, with abuse, attempted murder and crimes against this court, and therefore claim him under my jurisdiction. Do you understand these charges, mortal?�
�What crimes against the court?� Damien asked in anger, �And Sarah deserved everything she got.�
Jareth stared at him calmly, too calmly. �Your crimes against this court rest in the allegations that Ms. Williams and I had �relations.� It is not your position to question a king, regardless of the fact that I have not laid a finger on the woman in any way that is not considered entirely proper. To bring slander against me is to slander the entire family and, as it is unfounded, is a crime against the court,� Jareth smiled cruelly. �While normally I overlook such talk, I have made an exception for you.�
Sarah tried her best to look calm; in order to keep up this appearance, she stared determinedly at the hands of the scribe that took all this down. She tried not to allow herself to be affected by what was coming to pass between the two men. It was only when Jareth made mention of his never having touched her that Sarah�s gaze faltered. Was that a hint of sadness in his voice? The young woman stared at him in wonder.
�I take it you understand the charges against you. In which case, I call upon the mortal friends of Ms. Sarah Williams to speak of this mortal man, Ms. Tessa Sparrow and Ms. Katelin Colwell.�
