There was nothing to signal the change in location. One moment they were in Sarah's little kitchen area the next they were in a stone walled room that could only be part of the Goblin Castle. It was cold and bereft of any comfort. The smell of age ,dirt and things she didn't want to think too much on permeated the air.
Sarah snatched her hand away as if burned. She should be shocked by the transportation, however she was more amazed by her own lack of surprise. What had she expected? A firm handshake and a goodbye? Some part of her had known it was a trick, so why had she gone ahead and stepped into the trap? Why take the tiger by the tail? She couldn’t explain it to herself. It was a damn foolish impulse. Had she no sense of self preservation?
"Now what?" She looked around at the messy floor littered with rags, dirt, broken weapons and rotting wood just in time to see a furball with glowing eyes actually roll along one wall before disappearing through an archway. "Why did you bring me here? What's going on, Jareth?"
"Nothing is going on. We were discussing the nature of truth. When you have discovered it, talk to me again. I'd love to hear your views," he turned on his heel to leave.
"Where do you think you're going? Take me home, right now," Sarah stomped her bare foot in frustrated anger.
Jareth turned, a true hint of amusement in his eyes. "You're quite fetching when you're angry. However, tantrums will not work. I’m quite accustomed to unruly children and unmannered creatures. You are in my territory now and the rules are very different from the last time you dropped in."
"Rules?" Sarah crossed her arms before her chest and glared. "What rules? This isn't a game. This is my life and I'll thank you to stop jumping into it."
Jareth settled his gloved hands on his slender hips and cocked his head slightly to the side. "Once you've opened this particular door it never really closes again. As for the rest, life is a game with its own set of rules. In the end, everyone loses. Denying it doesn't change it. "
"And you just love to twist the rules to your own ends, don't you? Well, it isn't going to work. I didn't ask for you to come. I didn't wish anyone away, especially myself," Sarah refused to back down, her voice shaking with anger.
The Goblin King sighed, and shook his head slightly. "And I told you, those rules no longer apply. I really am getting tired of repeating myself. You are not a stupid girl so stop acting like one. But then, acting is all you know how to do. Why not start reaching for some honesty, hmmm? Stop acting and be… true," he turned away again.
"I honestly want to go home," Sarah called after him.
He turned and with a mock bow answered, "You have no power over me."
He disappeared through the archway. Sarah ran after him, for the moment more afraid of being left alone in this awful place than of sharing breathing room with him.
The hall beyond the arch was empty.
"JARETH!" Her own frustrated echo answered her back.
Mentally she railed. He left me here, her inner voice raged, that bastard kidnapped me from my own apartment, in my nightclothes no less, then abandoned me! What had she expected, she chided herself, courtesy? Straight answers? Just whom was she fooling?
A droopy-eyed goblin in clanking, rusted armor rounded the corner and spotted her, looking confused for a moment before getting a rather evil glint in its eyes. He showed a set of yellowed shark teeth when his gave a nasty grin.
"Don't EVEN start on me. I am not in any mood for it," she growled, pointing her finger at him before really thinking.
The creature let out a startled grunt and backpedaled out of the hallway.
Sarah smiled to herself. Fine, if that is how it was going to be, Jareth was going to find out just what a mistake it was to leave her to her own devices in his castle.
It only took a short while for her to discover a few truths she hadn't considered. Firstly, the stone floors were very cold on bare feet. There were no carpets to be found and only dust and mold covering the floor.
Secondly, the Goblin Castle was larger on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside from what she could remember. It was a TARDIS , it had to be. It took no time at all before she was totally lost. The castle was its own labyrinth. A maze inside a labyrinth filled with questions.
Thirdly, the goblins she ran into looked meaner than she remembered and a lot less laughable. One or two stood over six feet tall and sported deadly looking claws. One even wore a necklace of ears and fingers, making Sarah pale a bit. However on remembering the reaction of the first goblin she had met this day she let her anger remain visible and refused to show any fear. If nothing else Jareth had taught them to fear angry looking humans or humanoid types. It was an effort not to show fear or disgust, however. Especially when she saw what two of the creatures were doing in one dark corner, careless of who or what saw them.
The final thing she discovered was that she had nothing to be ashamed of in her apartment, as it was clean and organized at the very least. The castle was badly in need of a good scrubbing. Dust and dirt lay everywhere. Cobwebs filled corners near the ceiling and rags and broken items littered the floors. She'd had to dodge a few chickens, of all things. She also had to be very careful to keep from stepping on broken glass, bits of metal or other messes she had no interest in examining too closely. The smell of age and unwashed goblins was disturbing to say the least. If things weren’t always what they seemed here, she hadn’t found any clue as to any other seeming.
What damage could she possibly do in this mess? A wicked voice in her head told her she could clean, but she squashed it. She'd be damned if she let herself become Jareth's maid. Beside, the goblins would only make a mess again as soon as anything was cleaned. The creatures were everywhere acting disgusting.
"Drab and colorless, indeed. Who did YOUR decorating, your assness?" She directed to the walls, getting only the snicker of some passing goblins as a reply.
After what had appeared to be hours of wandering aimlessly from room to room, many of which rivaled the Escher room in strangeness if not tidiness, she found herself drawn to a doorway emanating a cheery light and the sounds of a woman's scolding.
"No, no, no. Wash them first. Yes, in the water, you won't melt. Nog, don't cut away so much of the potato, we need that part," the voice sounded exasperated.
Peering through the doorway with interest she found, to her astonishment, what appeared to be a human woman directing several dejected looking goblins at kitchen tasks.
There was a fire in an oversized fireplace over which one goblin, the very picture of boredom turned a whole pig on a spit by peddling a wheel-less bicycle contraption while yawning open mouthed. One wall was lined with stoves laden with copper pots and pans of all manner. The savory smells alone drew Sarah forward into the room.
The woman stopped demonstrating how to peel a potato to one very small and confused goblin and turned her kindly eyes falling on Sarah.
"Oh my! Well met, young lady." The woman appeared to be at least fifty, with long dark hair liberally shot through with gray pulled into a braid down her back and laugh lines around her eyes. She wiped her hands on a stained apron tied about her thick waist. "Whatever are you doing here?"
"I'd like to know that, myself," Sarah answered and held out her hand, "I'm Sarah Williams."
"Colleen McKenzie, but folks around here call me Col," the woman's tone was brusque yet friendly as she looked Sarah over. "Oh, you poor dear, you have no shoes!"
Sarah looked down to her chilled and now dirty feet, embarrassed. "I didn't have much of a chance to grab a pair. Do you know where I can find Jareth?"
The woman tittered. "Himself? Gracious no! He hasn't been in here in ages, but he's sure to turn up in the dining hall for noon repast." The woman's lined face broke into a smile. "Sarah, is it? Not THE Sarah?"
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Sarah's stomach twisted, weather it was from hunger or apprehension she had yet to learn.
"The only girl from the realm of Earth to defeat Himself's labyrinth. But then you couldn't be her, that was some time ago," Col grabbed a roll from a basket on a crooked wooden table and sliced a wedge of cheese from a wheel as she spoke. She offered them to Sarah. "Here, have a seat, dear."
Sarah spotted a stool next to the table and sat gratefully. "Thank you. And yes, last time I was here I bested Jareth. I think I'm here now for his revenge."
A wooden mug, fresh roll and little bowl of salt was placed before her. "Well this IS an honor. I doubt you're here for vengeance, though. Rules is rules and you won fair 'n square if I hear tell right. He can't take vengeance for that. You both stretched the rules, so the match was rather equal, and well played."
"I'm not so sure." Sarah took a bite of the fresh roll and smiled, for it was delicious, buttery and still warm. “What do you mean I stretched the rules?” Sarah's brows drew down in puzzlement.
“Well, you got help with the labyrinth and didn’t do it all yourself, didn’t you? That’s stretching the rules,” Col went back to stirring a pot of red sauce.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that. I just… did what needed to be done.” To Sarah's delight the cheese was sharp and excellent and the mug contained chilled water, better than the best filtered she could find back home. She really didn't need the salt for anything.
“Mmmhmm. And others did what they thought needed doing. It’s usually how things work,” Colleen set aside her pot and began to chop a turnip.
“I’m not sure Jareth plays by any rules,” Sarah snorted.
"I am. There are rules even in this place. He's as bound by them as any other. His Majesty might try stretchin' 'em from time to time, but he can't outright break 'em," Col bustled to the stove with the sliced root and dumped it in another pot.
"Well, I was kidnapped practically straight from my bed and promptly abandoned without explanation. I have no idea why I'm here or how to get back," Sarah finished the food she’d been given.
"Well if you didn't ask to come here and made no bargain then you can't be kept here indefinitely lest you were brought while dancing with a Fae in a circle of toadstools. By the rules you're a guest and under the protection of your host. As a host Himself is honor bound to see to your comfort and safety. Eat up and I'll see if I can find you a room and some shoes," Col turned and sighed.
"Left barefoot, lost and in my nightclothes doesn't much like seeing to my comfort, and it seems like some of the goblins are more... scary than before." She held in a shiver.
"Well the obligation is there, so anyone asked would show you to a nice room, clothe and feed ya. 'Course, most of the smaller gobs don't tend to be smart enough. The larger are more dangerous. More than you know. But none would harm ya if only because of the rules." Col rolled her eyes as one of the knee high goblins snatched the peelings from the turnip and stuffed them in his mouth.
"What about me, are there rules imposed on me?" Sarah was frowning.
"You can't deliberately harm the King or any of his subjects and servants. Then he has the right to give an eye for an eye. Course, any idiot who'd try somthin' that stupid would be dead and goblin chow anyhow." Colleen's head drooped and Sarah could barely here a murmered, "or they should be, no matter what rank."
The goblin at the spit had fallen asleep. Col approached him and shook his shoulder. "Come about Raggen, none of that on kitchen duty. You don't want to end up here on the morrow, do you? Keep peddling."
The goblin yawned himself awake and scowled.
"I thought not. If you ruin dinner the King is not going to be very happy, is he?" The goblin made another face and began turning the spit once again.
"Domesticating the modern goblin," Sarah laughed.
"Hmmph, hardly. They barely remember what they're supposed to be doing half the time. These three hate this job and they got Himself angry with them over something, so here they are. They only listen to me because if there's one thing a goblin is loyal to it's his stomach and I promise not to feed em if they cause trouble."
Sarah finished off her light meal and watched Colleen take all the pans off the stove. "Got to move these, otherwise they'll burn. These three dearies don't know how to watch 'em." She turned to the goblins and waggled her finger at them. "Now there had better NOT be a mess in here when I get back, or no food for any of you."
Sarah followed the older woman out the door. Curiosity got the better of her "How did you get here, Colleen?"
"Col, dear, and I'm here because I asked to be," two lefts and a right turn later the woman pushed on a thick wooden door, opening it easily.
"Why would anyone ask to be here?" Sarah frowned, her voice full of disbelief.
"Now that's my own business, isn't it?" Col replied, not unkindly but quite firmly as she swept into the room and announced rather loudly, "This room is now Sarah's."
A fire suddenly blazed in a small fireplace and several candles scattered about lit themselves. Sarah felt a light, warm tingling brush over her body for a second.
The room was half the size of her little apartment in total. It was also amazingly clean, the scent of lavender was in the air and chased away the scent of her wanderings. The bed had a simple wooden frame and it looked freshly made with what seemed to be cotton sheets and a quilt sporting embroidered roses. Col crossed to a tall, wooden armoire and pulled open the left side door. Inside were several dresses and several pair of shoes.
"These should fit. Through that door is a bath and facilities. This wing has hot and cold running water; just touch the red and blue crystals next to the tub and adjust as needed. To get back to the kitchen it's a left and two rights, or just follow your nose," Col smiled and left as abruptly as she had entered a swirl of long skirts and energetic purpose.
Sarah eyed the dresser's contents skeptically. How could the clothes fit?
She picked up a low-heeled shoe made of gray suede and measured it against her dirty foot. It LOOKED to be the right size.
"Curiouser and curiouser. Oh, wrong story," She sighed and peeked into the bathroom, eyeing the marble tub with open delight.
------------------------------------
Sarah looked in the full-length mirror standing without any visible means of support in the corner. She was clean and presentable again, even if she was forced to wear a dress. She preferred jeans but there was not a single pair of pants to be found in the dresser. She had settled on a white cotton, full length chemise with very full sleeves and a full gray skirt. As Col had said, everything fit as if made for her, including the comfortable suede slippers.
With no blow dryer handy Sarah settled for braiding her damp hair into a single long rope down her back.
Soon enough she was retracing her steps back to the kitchen. The spacious workroom was now brimming with activity. Colleen handed platters of breads, fruits and cheeses to eagerly grasping goblins, who took them and ran out.
"What's going on?" Sarah moved against a wall to get out of the way.
"Lunch. Those who carry the stuff out get to grab first choice after Himself. Lots of volunteers that way. Come have a seat. I don't suggest you eat in the dining hall. Tis enough to turn most folk's stomach." Col handed out the last wooden tray and sat down. Her three previous helpers were wolfing down their own meals in a disgusting manner. No one ever taught them to chew with their mouths closed.
"You said Jareth would be there?" Sarah did not take a seat.
"Usually, unless he's working on something important. He takes the noon meal with the ranking gobs, but at dinner he dines alone. Even HE can't take too many meals in their presence," Col reached for an apple and poured herself a mug of something frothy.
"Well, I need some answers," Sarah started out of the kitchen.
"No! Lass, don't go in there all fury and spit! You can't be demanding ANYTHING from Himself. It just doesn't work," Col's voice sounded panicked.
Sarah turned to the ashen-faced woman. "Watch me."
With her spine straight and her chin raised, she stormed down the hall the serving goblins had used. Soon enough she found herself in a large room filled with noise. There were goblins everywhere, eating with gusto if not with deportment. Whatever fell to the floor was snatched up by a team of coarse haired pigs, and half the food seemed to fall to the floor.
"Ah, Sarah, nice of you to join us," Jareth's voice rang through the revelry and the goblins at once fell silent, sharp eyes flickering from their king to Sarah. They appeared to be weighing how they were to react, looking for some clue from Jareth so they could avoid the wrong display and his displeasure. Jareth sat casually on a high-backed wooden chair carved like a throne.
"Care for some lunch?" He tossed her a piece of fruit, which she deftly caught.
She scowled on seeing a peach in her hand and tossed it to the floor as the goblins and their master laughed at her expense.
"I WAS going to tell you that you lived in a pig sty," Sarah shoved a bristly hog out of her way, "but this sort of makes my point moot. You might have more floor space here, but your cockroaches are bigger and you've crowned yourself king of them. All in all I'd say you're no better off than me. So... can I go home now?"
Some of the large goblins let their jaws drop, their mouths full of food. There were several loud gasps.
Jareth's face darkened. "If you continue to behave like a spoiled child, I'll have to treat you like one."
He waved his hand and the world went black.
