Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)

 

For the first time ever Jareth went to rehearsal feeling a bit apprehensive. All night long he had subconsciously built castles in the sky, each more glorious and unattainable than the last. He couldn't help himself. Now that he had finally given himself permission to continue with what he had secretly wanted to do this past week he couldn't stop himself from imagining all the attractive things his lovely Sarah had to offer. But he knew he would have to stay in control of the situation. They still needed to proceed with the play. No matter how preposterous the idea seemed Jareth fully intended on keeping his end of the bargain and inviting the neighboring kingdoms.

 

Yet lately he had been having misgivings about the play itself, especially after the change in his relationship with Sarah. Though he had initially planned on performing a perfectly normal production with the girl he had changed his mind directly after the evening she had accompanied him to his library. Perhaps, at the time, it had been a way to make him feel less guilty for almost giving in to Sarah, but now that there was an unforeseen change in his attitude toward her Jareth wondered if he should just scrap the whole idea and start anew. 



But it was against his nature to give up on something once he had already made a commitment. And despite his shifting feelings towards Sarah there was still a part of him that wished to see the girl utterly humiliated. He knew he was much too far on in the project to change it now. Doing so would undoubtedly cause a whole other sea of conflicts and mishaps. And not only that the Goblin King deplored going against his word and only did so when there was no other option. 



Besides, Jareth had a feeling that after today Sarah was going to relish her chance to be near him, debasement aside.



But Jareth thought little of this right now. He had resolved he would not give Sarah his heart, but he was curious to see how she would react to his advances. She had seemed more than willing yesterday. At this thought a thrill went through him. He was unaccustomed to giving in to any form of temptation and Sarah, he finally conceded, was the most desireable thing he had ever encountered in his long life. Jareth was almost trembling with excitement.



Finally the doors to the theater opened. Jareth watched as Sarah entered the structure in a fashion he had never seen from the fiery young girl. Rather than stomping or flouncing in with transparent anger she entered hesitantly, as if frightened. He was amazed at how subdued she seemed. Witholding a smile, Jareth wondered how long this quiet demeanor of hers would last. Sarah approached him slowly, Curlique making a beeline for the lightbooth. He regretted almost instantly on not taking the opportunity last night or this morning to listen to the conversations Sarah and Curlique had undoubtedly had. He had been too preoccupied with his own thoughts to remember such a thing. But as Sarah moved closer, Jareth forgot all about his regret. Behind his mask of indifference the Goblin King was regarding Sarah with an intensity he hadn't allowed since Sarah had first come back to the Underground, unconscious and unaware of his gaze. With a surge of desire he vividly recalled how beautiful she had looked then, completely vulnerable to whatever he could have subjected her to. And then he thought of the night he had witnessed her in her room, accidentally viewing Sarah's near nude form. By the time Sarah had made it across the room and in front of the Goblin King Jareth's emotionless facade had completely fallen away. He studied her with an deviant expression that would have put even the least reputable goblin to shame.



"I'm ready to perform the scene now, Jareth," Sarah murmured, as if afraid of how Jareth would react.



The Goblin King was in fact, ecstatic at Sarah's submission. He had assumed that tapping into Sarah's desire was the key to her complacency, which was why he had originally built his plan around seducing the girl, but he hadn't known how responsive she would be to the treatment or how quickly her demeanor would change. This new meek Sarah exceeded all his expectations.



"Excellent. Then shall we proceed?"

The duo went through the beginning of the scene without a hitch, acting almost instinctually. Sarah was a bit quieter than usual, but her dialogue and actions were convincing, much more so than in the first six scenes. Though Jareth had appeared incapacitated for the past week, he had scrutinized every detail of Sarah's acting capabilities and had found her more than believable. She was exquisite. But there was something about Sarah's performance today that left the Goblin King feeling a bit breathless, his heart skipping a beat now and then. Her actions were subtler, yet skilled and detailed and were made all the more beautiful in their complexities. Her voice started out a bit tremulous, but grew rich and throaty as the scene progressed. Her eyes were bright and a bit glazed over. Jareth wondered if she had mistakenly tapped into her powers again. With each passing moment Jareth thought she couldn't possibly look more enticing, but line after line she somehow managed to. The result of which was Jareth's undivided attention. He couldn't help but watch every intricate detail in her expressions and actions. 



He didn't realize how intently he was regarding her until Sarah boldly returned his gaze with a smouldering expression of her own. The look shook him to his core. Suddenly the air was thick with an undercurrent of desire between the two. Each line exchanged was suddenly frought with sexual undertones, both of them challenging the other with their eyes to take things a step further. The scene had suddenly transformed into a game of cat and mouse, each of them subsequently exchanging personas back and forth.



 The scene continued, and after Sarah's character was subjected to the fruit and had fallen under its spell there was a brief blackout. There was something about the warm velvety darkness of the theater that heightened Jareth's senses. He stood quite still, very aware of where Sarah was standing in front of him. Even from this distance he could smell the scent of lavendar coming off her. He heard her breathing, shallow and erratic. From the sound he could tell she was as aroused as he was. But before he could do anything rash the scene continued with the dance from the masquerade ball, now completely devoid of all other masqueraders. A dim light blanketed the couple, and, using his magic, Jareth cued the music. 



 A soft melody floated down from somewhere above. It's tune was sweet and poignant... and utterly familiar. For a brief moment Jareth wondered if Sarah would remember the song, but noting her astonished expression it was clear that she did. Sarah was blinking rapidly as if tears had suddenly come to her eyes, then she looked about, no doubt wondering where the sound was coming from. Jareth approached her and Sarah, finally noticing his nearness, looked up at Jareth with wide eyes and hesitantly slipped one tremulous hand into his and another onto his warm shoulder. They continued with their dialogue, though Jareth admittedly was paying little attention to what was being said. He was thinking of the upcoming kiss and wondering how Sarah was going to handle it. He had a momentary flashback to the argument leading up to their kiss yesterday. No doubt Sarah's concern was not so much for the kiss, but for the fact that the script had said she was supposed to 'passionately' initiate it. After their tryst yesterday Jareth hoped that Sarah had changed her mind. And as he watched Sarah with bated breath, it seemed that she had. Her last line before the embrace was whispered. Sarah hesitated for only the briefest of moments then, quite unexpectedly, placed both hands behind his head and pulled him into a jarring kiss.



 Jareth was completely blown away by her initiative. Her soft lips explored his without restraint, moving against his firmly, possessively. Sarah's tongue, which had remained in her mouth for the duration of their last kiss, ventured out and tentatively lapped lightly along the inside of his mouth. Her small fingers ran through his fine hair, shivers ran up and down his spine. She pressed her body wantonly against his, immediately sending a surge of lust to his nether regions. The scent of lavendar, which had previously been tantalizingly distant, now completely enveloped him. 



 In a daze, Jareth slowly wrapped his arms about her waist. As Sarah dominated the kiss, Jareth felt himself become powerless, a hapless victim to her seductive techniques. As he had admitted to himself days ago, Jareth couldn't stop himself from enjoying the feeling of helplessness, emitting a small shudder of pleasure at her advances. Though he had firmly told himself before rehearsal that he would control the situation, Jareth found himself completely disregarding his earlier thought. He felt as if he was falling... falling deeper and deeper into a spiral of bliss. Now that Jareth had finally given in to the beautiful Sarah he felt completely unleashed.



 All too soon, Jareth felt Sarah come up for breath. He took the moment to study his seductress and his surroundings. Finally separated from the pleasure inducing girl, Jareth felt his blood return to his brain. Suddenly he remembered that they were in the middle of a rehearsal and though they were, in fact, practicing for a play they were most likely putting on too much of a show for the little goblin Curlique. The thought of ending this provocative encounter so suddenly sent a shock of pain through the Goblin King, but he knew that today's rehearsal was just the beginning. He would have at least another two weeks of this heart-stopping pleasure. He would have tomorrow... and the day after that... and the day after that...



But... why wait until the next rehearsal? No, thought Jareth firmly. They would continue this brief interlude much sooner than that, he decided. Tonight. They would continue this tonight. He wanted an evening alone with this girl. What had Sarah said? All he had to do was ask.



 And he would. As soon as they finished this scene.



 "Sarah," Jareth whispered, "As much as I would like to give in to you right here and now, I'm afraid we can not proceed."



 Sarah looked up at the Goblin King, her gray eyes betraying her emotions. She looked away, disappointment etched on her features. 



 Though Sarah was, indeed, a highly accomplished actress, there was something about her demeanor that made Jareth believe that in this instant she was not acting. After several moments Jareth's suspicions were confirmed. From the light booth a small quivering voice called out to the couple.



 "...But Jareth, why must we wait?" Curlique yelled.



 Sarah looked about, confused for a moment. After another pause, the goblin repeated the line.



 "But Jareth! Why must we wait?!" Curlique cried again, saying each word with emphasis.



 Jareth gave Sarah a wry look.



 "Why Sarah, I do believe it is your line," he whispered.



 Finally understanding, Sarah shook her head, seeming to remember where they were.



 "Oh! Of, of course..."



 The rest of the rehearsal went by smoothly, and though the tension between the two had lifted considerably after Sarah's blunder, it reappeared again in the last few lines. The flame of desire had dimmed, but it had burned steadily within the Goblin King. When they came to the end of the scene Jareth felt it flare up within him again.



 "You know that I still have to try and stop you," Jareth recited, "In order for me to believe that you have completely given yourself to me you will have to break many more barriers."



 "Including the one around you?" Sarah breathed.



 With set features, Jareth gazed at the beautiful girl who watched him with wide eyes.



 "Especially the one around me," he stated firmly.



 Again, Sarah appeared to have a moment of enlightenment. Her lips parted, a look of wonder on her face. Then, it was inexplicably replaced by one of worry. Jareth wondered why his Sarah should be worried about anything. He wanted the look to disappear. Coming to a decision, Jareth grasped the girl's trembling fingertips and held them before him.



 "Sarah," Jareth began, a bit hesitantly, "I should... like to do something with you."



 Sarah's brows furrowed, as if she thought he was still reciting his lines. It was clear she was still in actress mode.



 Jareth pulled her even closer to him, willing her to believe his words, his eyes blazing. 



 "Tonight, Sarah," Jareth murmured, then, gathering his courage, whispered, "I'm asking you."



 Sarah looked up, the look of wonder again present. Her eyes widened, a hint of  a question within them. Jareth inclined his head imperceptively, confirming what was said. Though his face betrayed nothing, Jareth was searching her expression for answers. Sarah nodded dumbly, as if unable to believe what she was hearing. Then, it appeared a reasonable thought managed to cross paths with her brain.



 "W... what time?" Sarah said, pale lips barely moving.



 Jareth couldn't help but grin at the girl's reaction. For being the instigator of such a rendezvous she was taking this rather hard.



 "I'll come get you at 8 oclock," said Jareth, pulling her in for a quick peck on the forehead. He wanted to leave her wanting. 



 And so with that the Goblin King departed, feeling a bit accomplished and more than a little excited for the evening that lay ahead.



 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



 Sarah was trembling. She sat on her bed, her legs crossed under her. Her gaze fell on the script she was supposed to be studying. But she had been staring blankly at the same page for over an hour, her mind running at an unfathomable speed, unable to think of anything other than what had just happened. She had told the Goblin King that all he had to do was ask. And to her shock he had actually accepted her offer.



When Sarah had so rashly said those words yesterday, Sarah knew she had been reacting on impulse. She had been caught in a moment of weakness and likely would have succumbed to anybody's demands if only to continue the glorious kiss she had shared with Jareth. But, as she had the previous night, and now, more than ever, Sarah was beginning to have doubts. Again she asked herself how she could be allowing this man to pursuit her. Sarah thought of her home, her father and stepmother, and her beloved Toby. She thought of her cozy room with its childish charms, Escher poster and blue dinosaur pillow. She felt as if she was betraying her home, and most especially, Toby, for giving in to Jareth. She shouldn't let this happen. It would be a mistake. 



But there was something standing in her way. Something as tangible and obtrusive as if it were an actual obstacle that stopped her from taking action. Sarah could no longer deny the attraction she had for the Goblin King. She found it inexplicable that she had feelings for the man, but she had the nonetheless. And again she recalled the truth of Jareth words from the previous day. It was true. She had been wanting a kiss from Jareth since the first day she had come back... and perhaps even more. 



The thought made her feel ashamed. Of all people, why did it have to be Jareth? Why did it have to be the man who had stolen her brother, tormented her, attacked her with a bunch of unruly goblins? Why did it have to be him? The man who had made her afraid to act on her imaginative impulses until a the day before she had come back here? Why did it have to be... the Goblin King? These questions swirled in Sarah's brain, replaying over and over like a broken record, yet deep down, Sarah knew she had her answer.



Because although Jareth mocked her, tricked her, and even hurt her, there was no denying that the Goblin King made her feel... alive. And maybe it was simply a childish fantasy, but she thought that maybe he felt the same way about her. Though Sarah said it had been Jareth who had nearly destroyed her life after she had encountered the Labyrinth, she knew she only had herself to blame. During those four years of solitude and silent despair Sarah knew that what she was experiencing was not only a withdrawal of magic... it was a withdrawal of... Jareth. 



And now that Sarah had finally admitted these feelings to herself, she could only hope that there was some scrap of affection that Jareth held for her. She knew the man desired her, but did he actually CARE for her?



Yet even as she thought this, Sarah knew it would be too much to hope for. What kind of person expressed affection by inflicting pain? What she had told Curlique the previous day was true. She did not trust Jareth. She was not at all certain what type of relationship she held with Jareth, but Sarah knew that for now it was going to have to be enough. The Goblin King would be at her door at 8 oclock on the dot regardless of her feelings.



With a sigh Sarah tossed her script to the floor. She wasn't accomplishing anything. Sarah suddenly wished Curlique was with her. The little goblin was turning out to be as much of a sounding board for her problems as she was a friend.



Then, whether by coincidence or by Sarah's wish the little goblin burst through the door.



A/N



Woooow.. Has it really been almost three years since I have updated this? I'm afraid that most of my dedicated followers have probably abandoned this story long ago, but here's to new beginnings! ;D Got the urge to continue writing this recently, and although I can't make any promises on how often this will be updated, I will try my best to complete it. Thank you all for reading.. I've missed this! :) PS: Apologies for the strange layout.. :S Quite a few things have changed since I last updated!