A Bird In A Cage

DISCLAIMER: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ABUSE, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION



***



The night was densely foggy and particularly quiet, something about the atmosphere gave Sarah the creeps. But after dealing with shit-head customers all night and getting in a heated argument with her boss, Sarah needed to step outside for a few minutes to clear her head. She leaned against the brick wall of the strip club and pulled out a cigarette from her purse and felt a sudden pang of unease tear through her, but she foolishly ignored it. "I'm just nervous because I'm in a seedy area, but I'm close to the door and people are around front, if anyone tries anything, I can scream and run", Sarah thought to herself as she fumbled around in her purse for her matchbook...And that is where she fucked up. Unbeknownst to Sarah, a man was lingering out back, but the fog hid him well. "Shit", she mumbled, as she dropped her purse to the ground and fumbled to pick up its contents that rolled out. That minor distraction was all the malicious man needed to move in on Sarah. She heard the dull thump of the man's boots much too late, but still scrambled to stand up just to be met face to face with a menacing, gruff face staring back at her. Those cold, evil eyes....



Sarah jolted upright in the Goblin King's lavish bed, gasping loudly for air and clutching her heart through her thin negligee, tightly. Sarah shuddered violently as she slowly lay back again, closing her eyes tightly, trying to forget her attacker's face. This was an unwelcome nightmare she had been having since the night of her attack, and though this nightmare has been plaguing Sarah for many nights, she could never remember the rest of the dream. She was no psychologist, but she assumed it was because her psyche was attempting to guard her and block out something so traumatic.



"Are you alright, Precious?", she heard a familiar voice coo from beside her, his voice particularly raspy, evident that Sarah's outburst had awoken him from his sleep too.



Sarah groaned and rolled to her side, facing away from Jareth. She had forgotten he had slipped into bed with her in the middle of the night. She was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about how unfair the whole situation was ever since he left the room to attend to whatever business he had to get done. It felt like hours had passed, by the time he returned. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep while she listened to Jareth shuffle around the room. Curious to know what he was doing, Sarah dared to peek open an eye and caught a glimpse of him fully naked as he slipped on a pair of black satin sleep pants. She quickly closed her eye and blushed furiously. Thankfully he was facing away from her so she only saw his well sculpted ass instead of his well endowed penis that he always loved showing off in his skintight pants. However, she did catch a brief peek of some "twig and berry" action as he bent ever-so-slightly at the waist and lifted his leg to step into his pants. Seconds later he stealthily crept into bed with her and slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Sarah wanted to swat his arm off of her and slap the taste out of his mouth for putting his filthy lips on her again, but she knew better. So she just gritted her teeth slightly and continued pretending to be asleep as she felt his gaze boring into her, then moments later he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It was creeping her out to the point she finally rolled over so that her back was to him, just so she didn't have to keep being attacked with his kisses and have him stare at her. She lay awkwardly and stiffly as he spooned her from behind until she fell asleep out of sheer boredom.



"Yeah, I'm alright, just had a bad dream", Sarah finally answered. Jareth drew her into his arms and caressed her soothingly. And even though Sarah didn't want to admit it, it comforted her tremendously. Her heart began to beat at a steady pace again and her trembling ceased. Her mind screamed to fight Jareth off with all her might, but her body melted under his touch against its will. It felt right, it felt as though it should be this way. The mixed messages her mind and body sent confused her and began to make her suspicious and feel he was working his magic on her and she was falling directly under his spell.



"And what nightmare could startle you so? Care to tell me about it, Precious?", Jareth suggested softly. But, Sarah didn't want to tell him about it. "How could I tell one man holding me hostage and has harmed me about another man who was going to possibly hold me hostage and harm me? How ironic. Would he show himself to be a hypocrite and pretend to care and coo at me and tell me what an awful man that guy was when he's doing the same, or would he defend the monster so he could justify his actions? Hmm.", Sarah thought, but she didn't care to know the answer.



"I-I'm beginning to forget the dream now...Did you sleep well?", Sarah asked, not that she actually cared, but she was hoping he would drop the subject. Jareth held her tighter and hummed.



"Best I've slept in years. Why are we awake, again?", Jareth said, smiling against the crook of her neck. Sarah felt uncomfortable, but didn't fight it.



"What time is it?", Sarah asked, knowing she would be unable to go back to sleep now.



"Too early", Jareth husked out against her ear, then kissed at her pulse point with his hand trailing up her rib cage. Now Sarah began to squirm. He wasn't too forceful, but Sarah wasn't going to wait around for it to become forceful or the situation to go sour, so she carefully and cautiously took hold of his hand and pried it off of her as she pulled away from him and practically leaped off the bed.



"You can go back to sleep, but I'm up and alert now. And I need to shower, where's the bathroom, by the way?", Sarah spouted off quickly, peering around the room.



"That way", Jareth whispered in her ear, now gripping her waist as he pointed around a corner in the room, causing Sarah to jump out of her skin.



"Holy fucking shit, how did you get over here so fast?", Sarah gasped, turning to face the grinning Goblin King. He didn't answer her, his grin just spread wider, then he walked past her to an armoire identical to hers and began rooting around through it, ultimately pulling out grey pants and a black poet's shirt.



Sarah eyed his choice of attire for a moment then scrunched her nose. "Why do you dress like that?", she asked.



"Like what?", Jareth asked continuing on with what he was doing, not even looking at Sarah. Then he waved his hand over himself and before Sarah could blink, his sleep pants were off, he was clean, and redressed.



"You dress so...flamboyantly", Sarah responded simply and shrugged.



Jareth now stopped what he was doing and quirked an eyebrow at Sarah. "I beg your pardon?", he spoke.



"It's just...I don't know...never mind", Sarah answered. It wasn't that she didn't like the way he dressed, it was just so foreign to her.



"Would you rather I wear denim hanging off my rear and a backwards hat?", Jareth joked, cracking a small smile.



Sarah began giggling at the thought. It looked awful on men from the aboveground, she could just imagine how Jareth would look in such fashion.



"God, no", Sarah spoke between giggles. "It's just different, I'm not used to seeing men wear shit like that and I was just wondering if the way you dress is how everyone dresses down here or if it's your personal style", Sarah said, unknowingly following behind him as he walked about, closing the armoire and going to sit in a chair to put on a pair of his heeled, leather boots.



"Hm...I guess you can say we dress similar, but with our own 'personal style'. Not much unlike where you're from, for example, some may like form-fitting shirts, some may like loose, some of you may wear letters and words on your clothing, some may wear pictures or patterns, but in the end it's still just a cotton shirt", he explained as he finished lacing his boots then sat back and placed his hands behind his head. He noted Sarah was being much less temperamental and was accepting and talkative this morning. It was most unexpected, but he welcomed it.



"Ah, I see...And do you always bathe and get dressed by magic?", Sarah asked, now sitting in a chair opposite of Jareth, with her chin resting in her hand casually.



"No. But you said you needed to use the washroom, did you not?", Jareth answered, smiling cheerfully.



Sarah completely forgot all about still being dressed in her see-through, paper thin gown. She was so caught up in the Goblin King's presence, she found herself not even minding. "Yeah...yeah, I do. Well, I'll be off then", Sarah said, standing from her chair and beginning to walk away when Jareth caught her by her wrist and pulled her into his lap.



"What's the rush?", Jareth said, as he gently stroked Sarah's thigh. "Do have breakfast with me first, Love", he added, then conjured a crystal ball and tossed it to the floor causing a table with a silver tray laid on it to appear in front of them as well as two glasses of wine. "Well then, I guess I didn't have much of a choice", Sarah thought as she attempted to move back to her chair opposite of Jareth, but his grip on her tightened. Jareth watched, amused as Sarah struggled to be freed from his grip, but eventually huffed then settled into his lap.



"Drinking so early? You know what they say about people who drink before noon?", Sarah asked rhetorically as Jareth reached around her and took the lid off the tray revealing a platter of bread.



"Oh? And what is that?", Jareth retorted, amused.



"That you may have a little drinking problem", Sarah answered.



Jareth chuckled and handed Sarah a wine glass. "Well there's no such stigma here, it's perfectly acceptable to drink at any time of the day, though not to get drunk, that is a punishable offense. Unless at a ball or royal party.", Jareth explained.



"Hm, then what's the point?", Sarah thought as she downed half of her glass of wine in one drink. "And what's the punishment if you get hammered?", Sarah inquired.



"Whipping and public shunning", Jareth informed her as he began to break up his bread in small pieces, something Sarah noted as odd.



"Don't you think that's a bit harsh?", Sarah asked.



"The laws are in place and as they are for good reason", Jareth snapped, sounding slightly annoyed. "Well, damn", Sarah thought and decided to back off. She took it he doesn't like to be told how to run his land or even questioned about it.



"Ew, what are you doing?!", Sarah exclaimed, noticing Jareth began to soak his bread in his wine and eat it.



He quirked an eyebrow at her. "We are eating sop in wine", he told her. "Eat", he added.



When Sarah continued eyeing him strangely, he finally caught on.



"Or you can have any meal of your choice, if this isn't to your satisfaction", Jareth said as he sat back in his chair.



"Yes, please", Sarah said much too quickly. "It's not that I don't appreciate what you gave me, it's just...different, not what I'm used to", Sarah added after Jareth shot a glare at her after her initial statement.



"Ah, I see. So what is it that you would like?", Jareth asked, tracing his finger along Sarah's arm affectionately.



"I'm not really that hungry, actually, I hardly ever eat breakfast. I'm always asleep at this time. I technically just got home from work a few hours ago", Sarah said.



"You will eat when I say, now tell me what you would like or you'll eat what I have given you", Jareth said, growing increasingly agitated.



"What a controlling asshole", Sarah thought, growing angry and wanting to cuss and fight with him, but decided against it, not wanting a repeat of last night over something so petty.



"Fine. Just some fruit and black coffee please", Sarah said through gritted teeth.



Jareth smirked and with a flick of his wrist conjured a crystal and cast it to the table, causing another silver tray to appear and next to it a steaming cup of coffee.



Sarah pulled herself from Jareth's grasp, not wanting to be on his lap any longer, and scuttled to the nearest chair. Much to her surprise, he let her. Just as Sarah reached out to lift the lid from her tray, Jareth beat her to it and smiled wickedly at her grimace when a cut peach among other fruits were revealed underneath.



Sarah glared at Jareth, his smug smile proving to her that he knew exactly what he was doing, and in that moment she felt as if he were trying his hardest to provoke her anger, so Sarah didn't take the bait. She just growled and looked away from him, pretending she didn't feel his eyes boring into her as she picked at her food, not touching any of the peach slices.



Jareth huffed and grabbed a fork then pierced through one of the slices and held it to Sarah's lips. "Sarah, mine, I've brought you some of the ripest, juiciest peaches in all my land, do try some", he urged.



"Uh, no thanks", Sarah responded, eyeing him skeptically. His insistence raised some red flags in Sarah's mind, if Sarah didn't trust the situation before, she definitely didn't now.



"Do you think I've done something naughty with your food?", Jareth asked, his grin stretching impossibly wider. "Would it make you feel safer if I tasted it first?", he added, then slowly brought it to his mouth without waiting for her response. Jareth didn't take his eyes from hers as he parted his lips ever-so-slightly to take the plump fruit into his mouth. As it slid past Jareth's lips, the sweet nectar began to seep out of the peach and down his lips and chin, his tongue seductively snaking out to lap at the juices.



Sarah's heart thumped rapidly in her chest, confusing her as to why she would find something as simple as Jareth eating a peach, so erotic.



"See, I'm just fine. Now, your turn", Jareth said as he dropped his fork and picked up another slice of peach with his fingers then held it to Sarah's lips, and she didn't understand why, but they parted of their own accord and he pushed the fruit and the tips of his fingers past her lips as her tongue curled around them.



After Jareth watched Sarah chew a moment, he began to cackle, effectively snapping Sarah from any veil of seduction she may have been under.



Sarah quickly swallowed and looked at Jareth nervously. "What's so funny?", she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer, and was fully expecting to be hallucinating at any moment.



"My naive little girl, you really are clueless aren't you? You see, if I had really tampered with your peach, you would be...as you would say...fucked. Dream altering spells only work on mortals, but even if it did work on Fae, do you think my own magic would work against me? Oh my sweet Sarah, I really do need to bring you up to par", Jareth said then resumed chuckling darkly. Sarah nearly choked and began to panic, but Jareth waved a flippant hand in her direction. "Oh but don't worry, I didn't give you any 'magical' peaches this time. Do you see how generous I am?", Jareth spoke, in a more serious tone this time.



"Pff, generous for not drugging my food, that I have the misfortune to be dependent upon you for? Then laughing at the fact you could have tricked me into eating said drugged food, yeah how generous", Sarah said. "Fucking pompous asshole", Sarah tacked on, mentally.



Jareth's jaw clenched. "Do mind your tongue when speaking to me. We have had such a pleasant morning, it would be a pity if I had to put you over my knee for your churlishness", Jareth said darkly.



"Pleasant for whom?", Sarah thought and rolled her eyes.



"And don't be so defensive, it's just indicative that I need to educate you on Fae and how our magic works, because soon you will be frequently surrounded by Fae, and being the mischievous-natured creatures we are, they will pounce on an ignorant mortal like a lamb in a lions den", Jareth said, much more calmly, then began to sip his wine.



"You say 'mortal' so often when referring to me, so I guess it's safe to say you're immortal", Sarah piped up, trying to distract Jareth from the fact she was avoiding eating her food.



"Yes", Jareth said simply.



"Yeah, I should have known that when you came to me last night, you look like you haven't aged a day and it's been seven years. Do you even grow older?", Sarah asked. Jareth smirked at her sudden curiosity.



"Yes, but Fae age much slower than mortals. Every fifty years we age one year physically. In appearance I am 39 years old", Jareth began, but was cut off by a curious Sarah.



"So that makes you...", Sarah spoke, then tilted her hear back and began attempting to calculate his true age when Jareth interjected. "That would make me one thousand nine hundred and fifty".



Sarah's mouth fell open. "Goddamn. Age must be nothing but a number to you people, you do realize I'm only 22, right? That doesn't make you uncomfortable?", Sarah inquired.



Once again Jareth laughed at Sarah's ignorance to Fae culture, and it did not go unnoticed by Sarah.



"I assure you, it's perfectly acceptable and expected, even. In the underground you are considered fully matured by fifteen", Jareth said.



"Well that figures. That would explain his previous inappropriateness my first time in the underground", Sarah thought then scrunched her nose. "Well I still find our age gap gross and pretty creepy", she said.



"I'm sure. As I told you last night aboveground morals greatly differ from underground morals, it will take some getting used to", Jareth said with a wink.



"I doubt I could ever get used to underground morals if they excuse kidnapping and forced marriage...", Sarah began, but quickly ended her statement when Jareth's eyes narrowed on her and he tapped his fingers in annoyance at yet another insult to underground life, so she decided it would be wise to quit while she was ahead. "So, almost two thousand years is a long time to be alive, do you ever get sick? Can anything hurt you?", Sarah asked.



"I rarely get sick, but when I do, it is pretty bad and I'm a man of flesh and blood, so yes I can be hurt", he answered.



That caught Sarah's attention and she hummed in thought. "Can you be killed?", she dared ask.



All traces of Jareth's smirk and playful gaze faded as he eyed Sarah suspiciously. "Yes. But it would take a great amount of effort to kill a Fae, we're quite resilient", he answered. "What is going on in that pretty head of yours? Are these questions out of morbid curiosity or are you plotting against me, Sarah Mine?", Jareth thought.



"Well if you can die, you're mortal", Sarah said.



Beside himself, Jareth chuckled slightly. "Well in a sense. Nothing truly lasts forever. Even the sun's days of existence are numbered, but don't fret, I will be around for a long, long time", Jareth said with a wink then took a long sip of his wine.



"Lucky me", Sarah said sarcastically. "So how would one go about killing a Fae?", Sarah asked, genuinely intrigued and asking not with any intended malice or ulterior motive behind the question, but when the Goblin King stared at her blankly with his eyes narrowing on hers, she began to worry he may have taken her innocent question as a threat. But just when she was really beginning to worry she might have angered him, he threw his head back and began snickering. "Wouldn't you like to know", he thought.



Jareth slapped his knee as his giggles became louder and continued on much longer than necessary. Sarah turned beet red with embarrassment and grew angry as his ear piercing howls of laughter filled the room.



"I think I will keep that bit of information under my hat for now", Jareth said as he sobered from his laughter.



Sarah gritted her teeth to keep from mouthing off to him, then pushed her chair away from the table and and quickly shuffled away to the bathroom.



"And where do you think you're going?", Jareth called out, but much to her surprise didn't magically teleport over to her or attempt to stop her from leaving.



"I'm going to go have that shower now", Sarah said then quickly entered the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her.



Sarah sighed loudly as she shed her gown and paced across the cold stone floor, taking in her surroundings. The bathroom was huge, yet fairly empty. Across from her sat a large pedestal tub that was cast iron with a porcelain interior, a medieval looking toilet, and a bidet. Being in there made Sarah feel like she traveled back in time several hundred years, as if the castle didn't seem old enough.



She strutted up to the unfamiliar bathtub and inspected it carefully, trying to see how the thing worked and if it had a shower, then finally decided it didn't, though the lack of a shower curtain or shower head should have been a dead giveaway. Next she plugged it and sat on the edge of the tub as she filled it with hot water. Hot baths always helped Sarah clear her head, and given the situation, she would need time to think now more than ever.



Sarah watched the water flow as she became lost in thought, mulling over how she even got in this mess. "I came home from work, saw goblin shadows, wished for the Goblin King from my 'dream' as a teen, and now I'm here, underground", she thought. "But that can't be right, this cannot be possible. I'm fucking dreaming, I have been stressed lately and alone, so I'm having another one of my adolescent fantasies and as soon as I wake up, I'm seeing a goddamn psychiatrist", Sarah reasoned and gave her arm a quick pinch. "I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, come on, get up", Sarah began to whisper as she pinched her arm harder and grew frustrated when she could feel the ache of it and still wasn't finding herself stirring out of her slumber and waking in her bed to laugh at how silly she was being for acting like a frightened little rabbit and getting in such a fuss over a dream.



Finally panicking, she jumped up from the edge of the tub and stared at her reflection in the mirror and slapped herself firmly. "Wake up", she growled, then slapped her other cheek a bit rougher. "Wake up!", she yelled as tears brimmed in her eyes, then continued roughly smacking her face as red welts in the shape of her delicate hands began to litter her pale skin. If anyone would have saw the scene playing out in the bathroom, they would have questioned her sanity, but Sarah continued smiting and pinching herself until she was considerably exhausted and heard sloshes of water hitting the stone floor from across the bathroom. The distraction was enough to pull Sarah from her crazed tantrum and she ran over to the overflowing tub, turning off the faucet and plunged her arm in the scalding hot water to pull the plug, then climbed inside. Sagging into the water, Sarah's mind began to wander again as she picked up a bar of soap and began scrubbing at her sore skin.



"Why have I been so compliant and non-confrontational?", Sarah pondered, feeling a bit guilty that the morning between her and Jareth had been almost pleasant, and embarrassed of her submission to him. "I should be making his life a living hell. The hell he has made for me here will be the one he rots in, even if that means being kicked around. I won't be the 'merry maiden' that he wishes me to be and if I can't go home, then I will be so foul to him that he can't stand to be around me", Sarah thought, grinning at her scheme, continuing working the soap and washcloth over her body and up her chest and neck then froze. She slammed the soap down and gripped the familiar, thick roped chain in her hands tightly. She remembered explicitly removing the collar as soon as Jareth left the room last night, yet here it was around her neck. She couldn't help but become suspicious that this was the reason she couldn't find it in herself to rebuke Jareth, no matter how angry he made her. Perhaps that was what he meant by it would be a reminder that 'she was his'.



Angered, Sarah ripped the necklace from her neck and threw it, the heavy item causing a loud clinking noise to echo throughout the bathroom.



Jareth lounged casually in his chair, tapping his fingers impatiently as he waited for Sarah to emerge from the bathroom. "Gods, what is taking that woman so long? Females...", Jareth thought as he raked a hand down his face. He was growing restless, any moment away from Sarah when he knew she was right here in the castle with him was torturous. He had went far too long watching her through crystals and peeping through her windows in his owl form, and now that he could see and touch her, he was going to take full advantage. Not to mention he was rather excited about their eventful morning without little altercation. Sure, last night hadn't went without fuss, but he expected it, and that didn't mean their lives had to be spent fighting one another.



As the minutes dragged on he was tempted to conjure a crystal and check in on her, but he refrained from doing so. He wanted her to have a certain level of privacy and feel comfortable, and she would surely raise hell if she ever caught wind of it. Jareth sighed, defeated, and rested his chin in the palm of his hand, gazing at the empty chair Sarah was once sitting in. He grinned merrily as he thought of their conversation, her curiosity, and her ignorance.



Yes, he would need to educate her on both Fae and Goblin life and the laws of the land. He couldn't have the queen inadvertently breaking laws. He knew he had his work cut out for him, she definitely wouldn't accept some of their ways without a fight and at the very least- complaint. Just the thought exasperated the Goblin King, but he was up for the challenge. He had won the girl, now he just needs to own her. Just having her with him wasn't enough, no, he would settle for nothing less than her mind, body, and spirit as well. Total possession because she was after all- his.



With that thought in mind and a toothy grin, Jareth stood and walked over to Sarah's armoire to pick an outfit out for her, since he noticed she didn't take one with her, much to his delight. He shuffled though each dress trying to find the sexiest one to dress her in, and ultimately settled on a blood red dress with a neckline that plunged down under the bust. Next, Jareth pulled out a matching, finely detailed red underbust corset, satin underwear, garter belt, and nude stockings.



As he carefully laid each article of clothing on the bed, a naughty grin flirted about his lips. Though he would prefer Sarah in no clothes at all, he couldn't contain his 'excitement' to see her in underground clothing. The only time Jareth saw Sarah dress femininely was when she dressed for work, but the attire was still tasteless and not becoming for his future bride. Jareth was acting like an adolescent boy, beginning to grow giddy to witness the show of Sarah readying herself for the day. But, he told himself that his excitement came from knowing what she had to offer. Jareth rather enjoyed his voyeuristic habit of watching Sarah strip through his crystal balls. It was addicting. He often found himself in a trance-like state for hours, watching Sarah on stage undressing seductively, dancing, twirling, teasing, and it was intoxicating. The only thing that could break the spell over him was when 'his' Sarah would begin her nightly routine collecting money from lap dances. It infuriated him, and would damn near send him in a murderous rage, wanting to rip the still beating hearts out of the chests of every man that dare lay hand on her, ogle her, or lust after her. He would send the crystal away and pace the room angrily, kicking or screaming at whatever poor, innocent goblin that dared cross his path. But despite his anger, he came back almost every night.



Jareth's thoughts came to a halt when he heard the bathroom door slam down the corridor, then moments later Sarah came stomping in the room with a towel wrapped around her body. She huffed when she saw him and quickly walked past him and swung the armoire door open then began rummaging around. Jareth's lips curled up at the corners and he materialized behind her. He pulled her body to his roughly and began to grope her as he placed gentle kisses on her neck. Sarah flinched and pulled away from him as she gritted her teeth and ignored him.



"I took the liberty to lay out your attire for the day on the bed, Sarah Mine", Jareth husked in her ear, then resumed traveling his hands greedily over her curves.



Sarah once again pulled away from Jareth, then glanced over her shoulder at the bed at the sleek red dress. "I can dress myself", she said, rolling her eyes. Sarah didn't take the gesture as thoughtful, she looked at it as another way he would try to control her, therefore she would fight it. Although initially his gesture was innocent, her refusal made him look at the situation as a power-struggle.



He narrowed his eyes on her and growled lowly, then took hold of her arm and pulled her away from her armoire and shoved her towards the bed. "You will wear what I have laid out for you", he said calmly, though he was quickly beginning to become frustrated.



"I'm not wearing that shit", she said and tried to shove past him, but once again he caught her by her arm and shoved her towards the bed.



"Are you so dense that you are going to start a quarrel over a damned dress?", Jareth asked as she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.



"This isn't about the fucking dress, Goblin King", she hissed. "If I give you an inch, you'll take a mile. I'm not your doll", Sarah added.



"Sarah...You make it sound as if you actually have a choice. You don't seem to understand your position here", Jareth began, slowly stalking towards the pouting woman. "I am a god, I am a King...I am YOUR King. This is my Kingdom, this is my castle. I run and control my Kingdom, and more importantly, my household, and everything within it. That includes you, Sarah Mine", Jareth informed her, then reached out a hand to caress her face, but Sarah slapped it away before she could think it through. Her actions earned her a firm backhand from Jareth, one Sarah fully knew to expect, but she didn't back down.



"I-I-m n-not your p-property", Sarah stammered, attempting to regain her bravado to go through with her plan.



"No. You will be my bride. You possess my heart within your hands. Do you understand the magnitude of what I'm doing for you? I'm exchanging absolute care and adoration for your affection and obedience. I'm giving you so much for so little", Jareth told her.



"My soul", Sarah said quietly.



"What?", he asked, seemingly confused.



"You're asking for my entire being, obedience to you without question, possession over my body. You're asking for my soul. That is not going to happen now, or ever", she spat, growing increasingly courageous and firm in her stance.



Jareth clicked his tongue and began to pace around her. "You don't know what you're saying. I will give you everything you want, even the things you don't know that you want. Do not resist me, Sarah, you will never win. I want you to desire me as much as I desire you, but it makes no difference. The outcome will be the same. I beg of you, do not force me to be cruel", Jareth said, ceasing his pacing and staring into her eyes deeply.



"If a fight is what you want, a fight is what you'll get", Sarah announced to him, watching as his eyes darkened dangerously.



"Once again, I beg of you to reconsider. Be wise, pride goes before destruction", he pleaded, not understanding Sarah's bullheadedness at all. He was offering her the world, but Sarah acted as if she were standing in the middle of a deal with the devil. Jareth pondered what she could possibly think she would gain from this stubbornness, it wouldn't get her anywhere, she wouldn't be returned to the Aboveground, she would still be his and forever bound to him, he just didn't understand her at all.



They both challenged each other, staring the other down as if they were a dangerous predator, when Jareth noticed her collar missing.



"Where is the necklace I instructed you to wear?", he asked, not taking his eyes away from her bare neck.



"Broken", Sarah said simply, a smug grin etching its way across her face.



"Retrieve it and put it on. Now" Jareth growled.



"Yeah, that won't be happening. I'm not your dog, Jareth", she retorted with a slight snicker.



Jareth lifted his hand and slapped her cheek again that was still stinging from the blow he delivered earlier.



"Retrieve the necklace now or I will drag you in there. You will obey me either way, but if you listen, at least your dignity will still be intact", he spat. Sarah didn't move, she felt the opposite to be true, that if she did listen she would be compromising her dignity and if she didn't listen, no matter what he did, she wouldn't be stripped of that.



Jareth gave her a moment to make her choice, but when she made no effort to move, he lunged forward suddenly and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Sarah clawed at his arm and tugged at it with all her might, but that just made him tighten his grip.



"On your hands and knees!", he screamed, and once again was ignored, so he kept her hair gripped in his right hand then gripped her arm in his left hand and slung her to the floor like a rag doll. Sarah fell to the floor with a thud that knocked the wind out of her, but Jareth's grip in her hair kept her head elevated and prevented her from landing on her face.



"Hands. And. Knees", he ordered again.



Sarah attempted to scramble to get up, but once she was on her knees, Jareth gave her hair a rough tug causing her to stumble forward and she braced herself with her hands. When she was in the proper position, Jareth took full advantage and began leading her by her hair like a dog.



He practically dragged her down the corridor as she kicked, screamed, and cursed for him to release her. Once they got into the bathroom, he led her across the hard stone, causing her to skin her knees as she crawled. He paused and quickly located the collar then dragged her to it and knelt beside her. Her face was shoved in the floor and Sarah screamed out as it collided with the hard stone.



"If you want to act like a bitch, I will treat you like one", he hissed in her face. Sarah seized the opportunity and spat in his face, earning yet another strike, effectively splitting her lip. Sarah wasn't sure if he punched her or slapped her, she just knew that by the amount of force put into the strike, he wasn't fucking around.



He quickly grabbed the collar that laid on the floor, then hoisted Sarah to her feet. "Put it on", he instructed, panting heavily.



"No", she said defiantly.



Jareth had enough, he grabbed her by her throat, causing a choked gasp to escape her lips, then he clasped the collar around her neck.



"Do you feel any better? Look at what you just caused for yourself, and in the end you still wear the necklace", Jareth mocked, but no sooner than the words escaped his lips, Sarah defiantly gripped the thick chain and broke it free from her neck, once again throwing it across the room.



Rage flashed across Jareth's face as he back handed Sarah again, this time her other cheek, then grabbed her hair and shoved her to the floor once again. Sarah bucked and clawed at Jareth, but her efforts seemed futile as he gripped her throat and held her to the floor, once again clasping the collar on her. But this time, he conjured a crystal ball and held it to her neck for a moment, then with a flick of his wrist it was gone as quickly as it came. As soon as the despised chain was around her neck, Sarah attempted to rip it off again, this time finding that it was stuck. She desperately tugged at it, not caring that it dug into her skin and bruised her pale skin.



Jareth returned his hand to her throat and gripped it tightly. "Try all you like, it can no longer be removed", he informed her. Jareth delighted in the way Sarah squirmed and fought under his grip, and he cracked a smirk when her expression became one of pure horror as his hand became like a vice grip around her throat.



Sarah fought for air, sinking her nails into Jareth's skin, and began flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and only then did Jareth take pity on her and released her neck.



Sarah rolled to her side and began choking violently as she rubbed her throat vigorously. She cringed when she felt Jareth cradle her in his arms and forcefully clamped his mouth down on hers, but before she could react, it was over.



"I'm going to leave you for now. I'm afraid of what I might do if I stay here one more moment", he growled, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.



Sarah sighed with relief and took a moment to catch her breath before she attempted to stand. Her body was sore and she wobbled, almost falling until she steadied herself. She realized her towel was missing and knew it must have fell off at sometime during the scuffle, so she grabbed a new towel and secured it around herself and made her way to the sink to rinse the blood from her mouth.



She couldn't believe she had won, sure she was hurt, but she knew fighting Jareth tooth and nail wouldn't go without physical and mental pain. She successfully got him away from her, and no sacrifice would be too great to accomplish that. Sarah smiled to herself and turned the water on and stared at the reflection in the mirror looking back at her and almost gasped. With clots of her hair missing, bruises forming on her face, a bruised hand print forming around her throat, and blood trickling down from her lip, Sarah began to question her victory.



***



Author's note: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, but I had it all written and ready to go and the file got deleted. *SCREAMS* So I had to re-write everything from memory, and the holidays slowed me down, but it's up now, so I hope y'all enjoy!