At the edge of time and space

Sarah’s eyes opened to meet cold darkness. It took her a while to escape the euphoria of sleep and
realize that she was not in her bedroom. She gasped and sat up quickly, trying to catch some bit of light
that might let her see where she was.  

Yet there was nothing. She was in silent darkness. She held herself and shivered. The cold pricked at
her skin and all she could hear was her breathing, yet she dared not move from where she was.
Knowing the Goblin King’s games, she might be sitting on a block of stone at the edge of time and one
move might send her into oblivion.

“Hello?” she called out.

 She was answered by her voice echoing itself. She hugged herself and shivered, her breath coming in
and out in shuddering intervals. She was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans and her feet were bare. She
did not know what happened to her sandals.

Sarah was so very cold. It had to be below freezing. She felt her feet and her nose starting to get numb
and rubbed at them frantically to revive feeling.

Suddenly, two warm arms wrapped around her and pressed her into more warmth. She considered
struggling yet her body refused it. The place suddenly lit up in candle light and she looked around the
dungeon-like room with the iron door being slightly ajar. Her back was still pressed into the Goblin
King. Yes, she knew it was him. She could feel his warm breath on her neck.

He felt so very very warm, a complete contrast to his personality and the room.

“Mine at last,” he whispered as he nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply, taking in her scent.
She shivered.

“I will never be yours,” Sarah said, her voice picking up a nervous tone.

“Then perhaps I should leave you in this dungeon to freeze to death,” he said coldly and he drew back
from her. She turned to look at him. His eyes were captivating and cold as he stared at her with a cruel
expression. She embraced herself and suddenly realized that she could see her breath rising as she
spoke.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said boldly, even if she was shivering from the cold.

“Foolish little Sarah,” he smiled at her, “I am King. I can do whatever I please.”

“But it wouldn’t make any sense for you to leave me here to die,” she continued, “You want a
calculated death for me. Something much more maniacal than simple hypothermia. You’d want to do it
yourself.” He could not help laughing.

“Sarah, what kind of a fool do you take me for?” he asked as he pulled her back into his arms. She was
too cold to struggle and he knew this as he saw the look of comfort that his warmth gave to her. “And
although it would bring me great pleasure to know that the one who escaped my labyrinth never
escaped me in the end, I would much rather punish you harsher than a simple death. No, my dear
Sarah, death would be a gift to you and I have never been one to reward.”

 

Sarah hated the implications of his words and struggled to keep the tears in.

“Scared, are you?” he smiled softly. She felt ashamed to lower her gaze, but she had to or she was sure
she would burst into tears. She was so tired and frustrated. She had gotten away from him once and
it....it really took a toll on her. And now...now she had to do it all over again. She did not know if she
had enough strength left, even after three years. 

Yet she refused to show him that she was weak. He, however, could sense her reluctance to fight. Her
eyes betrayed her.

“You are cold, yes?” he whispered. She nodded solemnly.

“I could take you elsewhere,” he said, pulling her even closer so that his lips were directly above hers.
“Somewhere warm. Would you like that, Sarah?”

“Yes,” she said, softly, looking up at him.

“Or maybe I should leave you here for one more night,” he said, his tone stronger, “Just to make you
behave.”

“No,” she shook her head, her eyes pleading. “Don’t you fucking dare..... I’m so cold. I wouldn’t last
the night. Please.” She hated saying those word to him, but she was desperate. The cold was starting to
worry her as she slowly lost feeling in some parts of her body.

“And why would I care if you did or not?” he asked, one delicate eyebrow arching.

“You.....you wouldn’t have punished me at all,” she said, her voice trembling. He smiled at her will to
live. That’s what he liked about the girl. No matter how bad things got, she never gave up.

And that’s what would make this all the more fun.

A/N: As for the question of why it took him so long to get her, I made it like that because Jareth always
likes to put on a show, especially when it comes to Sarah. So I extended the scene a bit. :-)