Fooled Heart

Fooled Heart



Chapter Two: Return to the Underground



"My how you've grown, Sir Toby," the Goblin King stated, ruffling the boy's hair.



"You can't take him," Sarah said quickly, gripping Toby's shoulder tightly.



"He wished himself to me. He will be returning to the Underground," Jareth stated, pulling the boy away from Sarah's reach.



"He has a life to live here! You can't take him!" Sarah shouted, grabbing for Toby's hand. If he takes him, what will I tell Dad and Karen? Will they just forget? Will I forget?



"I'll run the Labyrinth again, just give him back!" Sarah said, desperation in her voice. She tightly held the boy's hand as Jareth's arm draped over Toby's shoulder. Toby grabbed his hand away.



"I want to go, sis," Toby said, "I want to have fun in the Underground."



"There is nothing you can do, Sarah. You did not wish him away this time. You do not have the power to get him back," Jareth said.



Sarah paused. "What will happen?" she asked after a moment, "Will he become a goblin?"



"Children only become goblins if there is no family to care for him, Sarah," Jareth said.



"There is a family here to take care of him. Let him stay," Sarah said, pulling the boy away from the Goblin King.



"I can't do that, Sarah. What's said is said. He will come back to the Underground with me," Jareth said, appearing behind Sarah and Toby. "But…" he started.



"But what? What can I do to get my brother back?" Sarah asked, holding Toby closer.



"But you may choose to come back to the Underground as well," Jareth whispered into her ear.



A shiver went up Sarah's spine. "Come back?"



"However, if you come back to the Underground, you will be unable to return to your life Aboveground. It is your choice, Sarah. Come back to the Underground and live with your brother, or stay here and forget him entirely," Jareth said.



"If I were to go, what would happen here?" Sarah asked.



"Your family, your friends, anyone you ever knew, would simply forget. It's not a tough decision, Sarah. Come back to the Underground." Jareth placed his hand on Toby's shoulder.



"Come on, sis. Let's go have fun!" Toby said, hugging his half-sister's waist.



"I'll go," Sarah said after a long pause.



The room melted into stone walls. Sarah stood alone in a small, cramped room. A small bed lay in one corner and a tiny table and chair in another. There was no window and the only way out was a heavy metal door. Sarah tried the handle on the door. It was locked. This was not what Sarah wanted. This was not going to be fun; this was a prison.



"What did you expect, Sarah?" a voice whispered into her ear. She felt his hot breath on her collar, but couldn't muster up the courage to face him. She felt him brush her long, dark hair away from her neck and he moved closer to her. "You defeated me, Sarah. I do not take kindly to defeat."



"What about Toby?" Sarah asked, clenching her fists at her side, "You said you would find a family for him."



"I do not lie, Sarah. One has been found. He will live with me and become my heir," he whispered.



"What will happen to me?" Sarah asked quietly. A long pause followed her question. She turned to face her captor. "What are you planning on doing with me? Shut me away? You said I could live with my brother! You lied!"



"I do not lie, Sarah," Jareth said sternly, "And I do not appreciate being spoken to in that tone. I am King here, you will respect that. Do you understand?"



"You said I could live with my brother," Sarah said. There was a harsh slap across her cheek. She fell to the floor and put her hand on her face.



"You will be a servant in my castle. You will personally serve him… and myself. You will only leave this room when the head of staff comes to you or if you are summoned. Do you understand?" He crouched down to look her in the eyes.



"Yeah," she whispered.



"I don't believe I heard you correctly," he stated.



"Yes, Your Highness?" she asked.



"That is better. I can be cruel, Sarah, but I prefer not to be," he stood and looked at her.



"Then why keep me in here as your servant?" she demanded, standing to face him. His hand struck her cheek again.



"I will not be spoken to in that manner!" he repeated. "You will remain as my servant because I say." He pulled her closer and brushed the hair away from her neck. He leaned in close and inhaled deeply. "You have defeated me once before, Sarah," he whispered, sending chills down her spine. He took her by the shoulders and threw her on the tiny bed. "But this time, it is you who will be defeated."



With that, he disappeared. Sarah stared blankly at the stone walls. How could he hurt me and make me want him in the same moment? Sarah thought, clutching her knees to her chest. What do I do now? I can't live like this.



The heavy steel door swung open and a round, fuzzy goblin waddled in dragging a large trunk. "These are your working clothes, Sarah. You are being called by Young Master Toby. I suggest you change quickly and I will lead you to his quarters." The goblin spoke in a low, gruff voice. The goblin was distinctly female and had whisps of multicolored fur spurting out from every angle. She looked as if something Sarah had fished out of her lint trap had grown legs.



The goblin waited for a moment as Sarah stared at her. "Well…?" The goblin was waiting, "Get a move on it!"



Sarah stood and opened the large trunk. It was honestly better than she had expected; the trunk was filled with loose fitted white shirts, similar to those Jareth wore, grey vests, and long black skirts.



"We do not have much clothing for humans in the goblin kingdom," the fuzzy goblin stated. "I am Grezle, the head of staff. Please dress quickly. Knock on the door when you are ready."



Sarah untied her kitchen apron and pulled off her top and jeans. She dressed quickly in the garments provided and knocked on the door.



Grezle led Sarah up a winding staircase that seemed to never end. When they finally reached a landing, Grezle turned and led her up yet another staircase. Sarah struggled to reach the top of the stairs and leaned against the wall when she finally reached the landing.



"No time to waste!" Grezle said, ushering Sarah forward. Grezle led Sarah down the hallway to a large double door. The door was ornately carved with suns, moons, and stars. Grezle knocked lightly.



The door swing open. "Sarah! Isn't this place amazing?" Toby ran through the door as he spotted his sister and hugged her around the waist. "Sarah, I'm going to become King after Jareth! Isn't that cool?"



Sarah hugged her brother close to her. "That's fantastic, champ," she said, tears welling in her eyes.



"Let me show you my room! It's so cool!" Toby grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her in through the door. Grezle followed after the pair and closed the door behind her. The room was fantastic. One wall was one large stained glass window depicting a colorful sunset. The bed was the largest Sarah had ever seen. It was ornately carved wood and had a canopy and large blue curtains drawn back around the posts. There was a sofa tucked against a wall and a small coffee table.



"Ah, Sarah!" Jareth stood up from the armchair next to the bed. "The uniform suits you well." He grinned deviously and came to put his arm around Toby's shoulder.



"Uniform? Sarah, what's going on?" Toby asked, pulling away from Jareth.



"Sarah is going to take care of us, Toby," Jareth said, smiling deviously, "Now, if you have no more need of our dear Sarah, I would like to take her."



"Ok! Have fun Sarah! The castle is so cool!" Toby said, hugging her around the waist again.



"Come now, Sarah," Jareth said as he exited the room from the ornately carved doors. Sarah followed behind, keeping her distance from the Goblin King.



"Why didn't you tell him?" Sarah demanded. Jareth stopped and turned to face her.



"Haven't you learned to not speak to me in that manner?" he said, stepping close to her. She stepped back.



"He has a right to know, Your Majesty, that his sister is his servant." Sarah hissed.