Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)

Sarah nervously paced about her room. In her arms she carried a stack of plays she thought may be suitable for the show. The ticking grandfather clock in the corner of the room did nothing for her nerves. Where was Curlique? She was supposed to have been here by now. The little goblin had visited Sarah yesterday after her "date" with Jareth for which she was extremely grateful. Sarah had been about to blow a fuse. Jareth's sudden mood change had confused and hurt her originally, but when he had insulted her by first rejecting her apology then name calling her she had been enraged. There was never a man she had hated more than Jareth at that moment. At the little goblin's appearance Sarah had tearfully explained all that had happened to her and Curlique, completely empathetic to her dear friend, consoled her. After an emphatic curse and a shed tear, the duo had then consulted one another about the upcoming show.

Sarah couldn't wait for the first day of this ordeal to be over. The longer she waited, and the more she paced, and especially after how Jareth had treated her yesterday, the more Sarah regretted ever having agreed to such a silly idea. But no matter how much she despised the Goblin King at this moment Sarah tried to put aside what had happened yesterday. Sarah longed to continue her argument with Jareth and somehow make him suffer as much as she had, but she knew it would have to wait for a later time. This play would need her full attention and no amount of name calling should divert her. Sarah sighed, feeling distraught. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this nervous. But she hoped that once she had seen what she had to work with it would be much easier to decide on a specific play and perhaps that would calm her anxiety. Sarah looked at the clock. It was 9:54. Curlique had informed her they were to be at the theater by 10 oclock. Sarah didn't want to threaten an already dubious leadership she had over the goblins. If she was late it would only give them more liberty to rebel against her. Sarah already knew that directing a bunch of misbehaving hooligans was going to be difficult, therefore providing a bad example would certainly not help the matter.

Finally, at three minutes to, Curlique came rushing in through the door. The goblin grabbed her arm and exited the room without hesitation.

"Come now, Sarah, we're going to be late..."

Sarah sputtered.

"You're telling me, what took you so long?"

Curlique sighed as she pulled Sarah through a myriad of twists and turns. "I overslept. We were up quite late last night. Now hurry up, the king is going to be highly displeased."

Sarah rolled her eyes and snorted. She couldn't help but feel derision at the mention of the "king." Sarah was still quite upset with how he had treated her the previous day.

"What does he have to be displeased about? I'm the one who's going to take the flack if there's an uprising of some sort."

Curlique glanced at Sarah with a confused look, then let out her breath in exasperation.

"I don't think I follow you, Sarah. Either way we don't have time for another one of your tirades."

Sarah blushed at the goblin's scolding tone. Now this was a difference from the Curlique she had first met! Sarah chocked it up to the little goblin's stress and her increasing familiarity with Sarah. So Sarah tended to fly off the handle from time to time. She just liked having her side be known. There was nothing wrong with that, though she was a bit embarrassed by the little goblin's word choice. But soon, Sarah was too out of breath to explain herself further anyway. Curlique's pace certainly belied her height.

After a seemingly endless procession of staircases, turns and dead ends, the duo finally came upon the goblins' common room. It was as unkempt and deserted as the last time Sarah had laid eyes on it. Without pause, Curlique led her up one of the many staircases that surrounded the circular room. With a flourish that was surprising for one so small, Curlique opened the imposing door Sarah could only assume led to the theater. Then, Sarah covered her mouth with both hands as she took in the space.

The theater was, in a word, breathtaking. Other than the library, the rest of the castle seemed ludicrous in comparison to this. Sarah was barely aware of the small hand around her wrist leading her down the aisle. The carpeted passage was one of many. Imposing arcs of mahogany marble flung from one end of the theater to the other. Her mouth agape, Sarah turned around and admired the amazing details carved into the stone structures supporting the balcony. The architecture had either been created in or had been inspired by the late Baroque period. Velvet ropes ran along the red carpet supported by golden rods. Sarah couldn't begin to guess how many seats the theater yielded. It had to be hundreds. Perhaps even a thousand. Several wrought-iron torches were placed intermittenly along the dark red walls. Sumptuous curtains hung heavy all around the stage. The dark wood gleamed in a light that seemed to be of magical origins. It was like being in a dream for Sarah. Never in her most vivid fantasies had she imagined a place so awe inspiring.

Unfortunately there was a man on the stage that marred the theater's angelic beauty. In fact, right now he was more like the devil incarnate.

Jareth was dressed in somewhat more casual attire than usual. He wore his typical black leggings, gloves and knee-high boots paired with a mauve poet's shirt and a black vest. He was eyeing Sarah very carefully from on stage. It appeared he had been watching her reactions with great pleasure. Sarah felt nervous facing this man again. She shivered, a bit afraid to approach him. The past two days with him had been horrific. She no longer knew what to expect from him.

Sarah was so involved in watching Jareth and wondering what she was in for that she didn't even notice how quiet the theater was. Just before Sarah reached the stairs that led up to the stage, Sarah noticed this and then realized that one critical piece of this picture was missing. Once on stage Sarah turned and stared into a completely empty audience. Save for Curlique, there was not a goblin in sight. Sarah turned to the Goblin King with a confused expression on her face. God, how she despised that smirk!

"Where is everybody?"

Jareth just stood there for a moment, no doubt relishing her moment of utter bewilderment. He appeared to have recovered quite easily from the argument that had occurred last night.

"I'm not sure I follow you, Sarah."

Were those not the exact words Curlique had just said to her? Sarah attempted to clarify.

"There's no one here. There has to be some sort of mistake."

Again Jareth paused, then gestured about himself.

"I believe everyone is here and accounted for."

Sarah was beginning to get angry.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"Sarah," Jareth said in a belittling tone, "You don't mean to tell me that Curlique failed to inform you that-"

"That what?!"

Jareth glared at her interruption.

"That you and I are the cast members?... The ONLY cast members..." He finished with a smile.

Sarah stood there sputtering for a moment, then rounded on Curlique desperate to unleash her anger on someone.

"You knew about this?!"

Curlique seemed to shrink before her eyes.

"You never asked..."

"But-but we discussed the play last night. You looked through the ones I picked out-" Sarah shook her pile of scripts in the little goblin's face.

"You-you never mentioned... I thought you already knew..."

"Curlique," Jareth's voice cut through the commotion, soft yet imposing, "As stage manager you are required to do as I ask. Leave us until you are summoned."

Curlique, eager to escape the anxiety of the situation, trotted off without pause.

"There will be no need for those plays of yours," Jareth turned to Sarah, "as I already have one in mind."

"What?" said Sarah, despair now mingling with the anger. She had spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect script, "But-but why wasn't I informed...?"

"Come, come, Sarah," Jareth admonished, "Is it really our fault if you failed to clarify that which was presented to you? It's not our job to inform you of anything-"

"That's not fair!"

"Why you would simply assume something is beyond me-"

"But I didn't assume!" Sarah interjected, "You, you told me.... didn't you...?"

Sarah's voice trailed off as she questioned her own memory.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Jareth said sarcastically, "but I'm afraid I don't recall saying such a thing the other night... though I could be mistaken. I was not, shall we say, very LUCID that evening."

Sarah lowered her head. Why had she assumed that there would be others involved with this play? It must have been the way Jareth had mentioned it to her. She knew she wasn't always as in the moment as she should be around him. Still she wished she had known sooner. Not that she could back out now. Technically, Jareth was still upholding his bargain, even if he had made her assume something that had not been true. But at least she could have mentally prepared herself for the now confirmed torture she had ahead of herself. That and she could have saved the trouble in looking through dozens of plays. Sarah tried to distract herself from the dread rising within her by asking what play they would be performing.

"I'm glad you asked," Jareth gloated, "I would hate for you to discover this bit of information halfway through the rehearsal process."

Sarah bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at the smug bastard. So she had messed up. Alright, she understood now, moving on.

"It's just a small play, with, of course, only two actors required. A one-act written by myself."

Sarah rolled her eyes at this. Oh this day was just getting better...

"I have the scripts written up and ready to be distributed," Jareth smirked. Sarah could now see that Jareth had something clasped behind his back, "But I must say first and foremost that the chief inspiration for my play came from this."

He withdrew from behind himself something that Sarah was not prepared to see. Upon identifying the object she flew into a rage.

It was her journal.

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Jareth exhaulted upon seeing Sarah's expression change from that of despair, to derision then to utter fury. In fact, he doubted he had ever seen his Sarah quite this angry. He watched her reactions carefully, curious to see what she would do next. He truly enjoyed getting a rise out of the petulant girl. After what had happened yesterday he felt a certain satisfaction at inciting such hostility. Sarah's fists clenched at her sides and she breathed heavily. Her eyes had at first widened in disbelief but now they were narrowed in anger. It was a searing look that shook Jareth for a moment. Again he briefly felt a loss of control, and again he enjoyed it in a twisted sort of way. After what had happened last night, he was beginning to figure out when Sarah's magic was being put to use. He thought of other moments in the past when Sarah had been particularly stubborn or defiant. He was starting to recognize the glazed over expression she often got when, he now knew, she was succumbing to her powers. He thought of all his past interactions with Sarah and noticed pattern after pattern after pattern. Yes there was no doubt in Jareth's mind that Sarah's magic was becoming more prevelant despite the fact she had no idea she possessed it.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Sarah appeared to gather enough of her wits to form a question. The words came out brokenly as her lungs heaved.

"What... are you doing... with my... JOURNAL?!" the last word was spoken with complete and utter contempt. Jareth almost winced at the sound of it, yet he was unable to stop himself from grinning.

Sarah, in a blind rage, made a grab for the wanted object. It was quite a silly move for her to make given her height compared to his, but Jareth could tell Sarah had taken complete leave of her senses and was now acting on impulse.

"Give it back, Jareth!" Sarah snarled through gritted teeth.

Jareth looked at the girl again, this time with surprise. Her face was twisted into an expression he had never seen before. It was almost demonic. Jareth noticed this with interest and perhaps a bit of concern for himself. It appeared she truly had lost her mind and was resorting to her basic instincts. Unfortunately these "basic" instincts of hers tended to bring out her magic. He tried to distract her.

"It's no use Sarah. The scripts are already written and ready for use-"

"Give. It. Back."

"Sarah," Jareth began in challenging tone, "Let's not forget our bargain. You agreed to perform a play for me and-"

Suddenly Sarah's face changed from rage to a much different expression. One that Jareth had been exposed to in its most raw form just two nights ago. A look that was completely predatory stole over Sarah's features. She had suddenly transformed into the temptress that had approached him in the dining hall before the ball. Jareth suppressed a shudder, recalling just how he had felt when she had last approached him thus. Without hesitation, she stalked up to Jareth and leaned her back into his body, inhaling deeply.

"Give it back, Jareth," Sarah breathed seductively.

Jareth froze. Now this was a new tactic. Sarah leaned her body up against his quite deliciously. He dared not move in such a vulnerable position. He swallowed thickly, forcing his hands to remain at his sides. But before long, he felt Sarah's magic coaxing him quite effectively to do something further. Jareth fought the urge to ravish this completely willing creature. In a sudden move he turned the girl around hoping to gain control of the situation. But Sarah did not object to this sudden change of position. In fact, she seemed delighted with the new arrangement. With an intensity that would have made a whore blush, Sarah pressed her hands up against his sides and ever so slowly brought them down to rest on his hips. Jareth almost fell over at this advance. She leaned in with a sigh and nearly brushed her sensuous lips to his ear.

"Come on Jareth... Give it to me..." she whispered.

Jareth tried not to dwell on the double meaning of that phrase. He knew that if he did not immediately remove himself from Sarah's grasp, he WOULD ravish her, consequences be damned. But he simply could not allow that to happen. He knew if her will was strong enough her magic would help her do anything to get what she wanted. He was frustrated by how easily Sarah seemed to manipulate him lately, and luckily his anger gave him strength. He harshly grasped Sarah's wandering hands and placed them firmly at her sides, extricating himself in the process.
"Do not think I will so easily fall to your charms, Sarah." Jareth smiled, a bit out of breath.

With that, Sarah appeared to return to her normal self, shaking her head in confusion. Jareth took this opportunity to vanish the sought after object right before her eyes. A sound of protestation escaped Sarah's throat but Jareth interrupted her.

"Now listen to me, Sarah," Jareth stated severely, "I will take no more of these games you insist on playing. You agreed to perform this play for me in exchange for your freedom. Whether you feel you should have received clarification on the terms or not is not my concern. You have already agreed to our bargain and that is all that matters. You can do this the hard way or the easy way, though I strongly suggest the latter."

Jareth conjured up a script written in an elegant hand. Sarah, finally seeming to fully shake off the effects of her magic, was standing contrarily, her arms crossed about her chest. Sulking, she reached forward and ripped the script out of his hand, her lip curling in contempt.

"Now I will summon Curlique to escort you back to your room. I don't want you getting lost on your way back, or, for that matter, go poking about where you shouldn't be. I have a little business to attend to this afternoon and I hope that you take the opportunity to read through the script. We'll be rehearsing the first scene tomorrow morning."

After Curlique was summoned and Sarah was escorted back to her room, Sarah was left to contemplate all the strange things that had been happening to her and within her these past few days.

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A/N Another long chapter for you guys :)

Ohhhh... it seems that Jareth still has a bit of cruelty left in his system. Let us hope that Sarah will get a chance to make him suffer ...

@all y'all XD- So I think we can all agree that Jareth can be a cruel son of a bitch when he's put out XD I found all of your guys's reviews highly entertaining this time around! The name calling- fool, royal git, ultra maroon, nincompoop... OMG that's hilarious!

@Vyperbites- Hmm that is definitely an intriguing idea... turn about is indeed fair play... I may have to work that in somehow :D

@kookookitty- hahaha yes. Agreed! A slap may be just what Jareth needs to come to his senses:D

@Ikaru- OMG hahaha pmsing!! lolol, yes it is incredibly hypocritical of Jareth to call somebody spoiled XD

@Ginette1959- Yes, that would be fun to make Jareth a bit jealous of someone... though I don't know if I can work in another fae character at this point, the idea is definitely worth considering. :)

Thanks for reading ~TheArtist