Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)

It was thirteen o'clock. The large hand was resting on the number twelve and the small hand was pointing to-

"Well," said a voice behind Sarah, "What have we here?"

Sarah jumped at the unexpected sound of the voice. But it was the voice itself that made her heart pump faster. She recognized that voice. Whether it had been four years or even four hundred years since she had heard it, she would have still recognized that voice. It was cultured and mysterious. It sent a shiver down Sarah's spine.

Ever so slowly, Sarah turned to face the person she knew the voice belonged to.
It was like being back in her dream. Once again Sarah stared into mismatched eyes- one blue, one hazel. They were shaded by arched eyebrows that joined an aristocratic nose. Thin lips were twisted into an amused smirk. A smirk that was directed right at her. His stature was the complete embodiment of poise and elegance, yet Sarah knew it was the elegance of a snake- a snake that was swift to strike the helpless as prey. And suddenly, Sarah was just that- helpless prey. She cowered underneath that penetrating gaze as she had four years ago.

For quite some time Sarah was speechless. How could this possibly have happened again? She hadn't called on the Goblin King. In fact, she hadn't even thought of the Goblin King at all until just a few days ago. She thought she had banished him forever from her and yet here she was. A mere four years pass and she finds herself at Jareth's doorstep? He must have found some other means of getting her...

The notebook.

Anger built up inside her. That's why she had been driven to the point of lunacy in finding that book! It had been his doing. He must have used some type of spell, the bastard. Somehow the he had tricked her back into the Underground with that journal. And here he was, playing at the innocent bystander, almost as if SHE had wronged HIM! As if creating a beautiful princess room would make up for his deeds! Sarah's eyes smoldered and her jaw clenched. Now Sarah knew what she was going to say. She was going to tell that pigheaded, arrogant bastard what a cruel S.O.B. he really was. It was something she had wanted to say to him before, but hadn't had enough courage. But now, she was finally grown. She was passed the days of being pushed around. Defeating Jareth the first time had been her first big step. Now it was time to finish him for good. Sarah opened her mouth, fully expecting to give him a piece of her mind until Jareth suddenly cut off her thoughts.

Sarah realized, without really meaning to, that Jareth was standing very close to her. Much too close for Sarah's comfort. And just as Sarah was about to tell the creep to back off, he gently grasped her hand. She almost pulled away, but as she was about to, she looked into his eyes. In an instant she was hypnotized by their depth and profound... feeling. It was harsh and put forth with great obviousness, but it was feeling nonetheless. Sarah watched helplessly as Jareth pulled her hand up to his mouth. Fervently, he pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand. Against her will, Sarah felt her anger melting away.

"Welcome to your new home, Sarah."

With that he quickly vanished. So quickly, in fact, that Sarah's hand was still poised before her face. She blinked. Twice. Then anger set in again. Anger and embarrassment. Why had she let him do that to her? Sarah felt her face go red. Just as she had been about to tell him off, she let him "entrance" her, Sarah thought sarcastically, just as he had at the masquerade ball. She had been young and naive then, so as the years passed she had excused her behavior. Sarah bit her lip in frustration. She had no excuse now. And what had he meant, "Welcome to your new home,?" There was no way in hell she was going to stay here. Even if the Labyrinth had been part of her childhood fantasies for many years, she would not remain. Not with that man around.

She couldn't believe how she had acted. Jareth had played her for a fool, and that's exactly how she had responded. Humiliated, Sarah made her way toward the door. There was no way she was going to let him go that easily- not with her pride intact. She would find him and force him to send her home. Who did he think he was plucking young girls from their home and sending them here? What did he want with her anyway?

Sarah paused. What did he want her for?

It didn't matter. At least, not now. All she wanted to do now was gain her pride back. Sarah grasped the door handle and pulled.

It stuck.

Sarah tried again. And again. And again with all her might. The door, however, remained immovable. She stopped to catch her breath, then gasped. It had been bare a moment ago and it just so happened that Sarah had been staring right at the blank panel when something suddenly appeared.

An envelope had materialized onto the door out of thin air. Cautiously, Sarah grasped the note. Perhaps it was another spell, meant to ensnare her further into this mouse trap. Carefully, she opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. It was folded and sealed with a wax emblem- an owl carrying a crystal ball within its claws. Sarah broke the seal, expecting nothing less than a demon to pop out from beneath its folds, but as Sarah inspected it, she realized something was wrong. There was nothing written on the page. The paper was completely blank. Sarah wondered what this could mean for awhile until she heard that voice again. For a second, Sarah thought Jareth had come back to taunt her some more. But she paused when she realized that the voice was coming from the paper. Sarah listened:

"Please give me the pleasure of joining me for dinner tonight. I'm sure there are many things you wish to discuss with me..."

That arrogant... Sarah fairly stamped her foot in frustration. There was no way she was going to join that man for dinner, even if she used it as a means of "discussing" how much she despised him. There must be another way out. The door was obviously of no use to her. Sarah looked about frantically.

Sarah's eye caught the balcony. Salvation.

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Jareth walked through the halls of his castle feeling elated. But despite this inner merriment, his outer state showed none of it. He was calm, cool, and collected- exactly as he looked every other day. But still, passing goblins were sure to give him plenty of space. Many knew what it felt like to get a swift kick in the rear courtesies of the Goblin King. Jareth, however, took no notice of them, and it was taking every ounce of will power he had not to grin from ear to ear.

The Goblin King was not planning on revealing to dear little Sarah his true reasons for bringing her here, but given the way she had reacted to his presence, he wondered if he would need to give her any reason at all. For the past four years, the capture of Sarah had been on the top of his priority list. Now that that was completed, the next phase would take place.

He planned to seduce her.

And Sarah had reacted just as he had wanted her to. She had been confused and distraught by what he had done to her, and that was precisely what he had planned.

It was true that Jareth had given Sarah special powers four years ago. It had been necessary for the capture of her baby brother. But in actuality, Jareth had based his entire plan on that little red book she had carried with her everywhere. The script that Sarah had been reciting from the play The Labyrinth had made it all too easy for him. He had magicked her straight to the Underground and had pointed her in the direction of the Labyrinth, just as in her little play. In the beginning, she had fallen neatly into its plot. Sarah had played the part of beautiful, distressed girl perfectly. He had taken her lightly. But he had greatly underestimated her.

He hadn't known how powerful she was until after she had solved the Labyrinth, but even then he had not given her enough credit. He had been a little worried, yes, but not much. She was a young girl. Even the idea of her succeeding was preposterous. It was not until after she had defeated him that he realized how powerful she really was. And except for that one occasion her power was basically untapped. Sarah was completely unaware of her power's existence. Jareth wanted to harness that energy and use it for himself. Over the past four years, the Goblin King had carefully formulated a plan.

The Goblin Kingdom was not even close to the stunning magnificence that it had once been. Far back in time, way beyond even Jareth's existence, the city had been beautiful and powerful. The kingdom itself had changed several times throughout the thousands of years it had existed. But for now, Jareth thought far back into his history. Little did the goblins know that it had been they who had asked him to become their Goblin King all those years ago. They had, in fact, known how to use the crystals themselves and had gained their own goblins in that way. The goblins used to be huge and terrifying monstrosities. But gradually they became less vigilant and more and more lazy. As the years went by, they became less terrifying. It was in their nature to be this way. But when they finally sought help there were only a few goblins left who still had the magic. They ended up using the last of it to find themselves a great and powerful ruler. Finally they found Jareth- a rich, spoiled young man who in no way appreciated his home and what all his parents had done for him. Seeking adventure, Jareth agreed to the goblin's bargain. In return for Jareth's incredible generosity he was allowed to remain in his human form, and was granted magic and immortality.

Jareth remembered exactly how the kingdom had looked after he had restored it. It had been a beautiful, glistening city. The goblins had returned to their monstrous forms, albeit non magical ones. His kingdom had been the most traveled, the most envied. There was nothing he couldn't do.

But again, ever so slowly, the kingdom fell into degradation. Over the years, the goblins transformed from cunning warriors to drunken sots. They were weak in appearance, and just as weak in battle. The kingdom became just as pathetic looking, hardly resembling the shining city it had once been. It looked more closely like the dump just outside of the city.

That's why Jareth needed Sarah's magic. His own magic was still as alive as it had once been, but it was worn out. Jareth could still feel it pump through his veins, but not with the great ferocity that it once had. The Goblin King doubted he would be able to revive the kingdom without the aid of Sarah's power. He needed her.

As for Toby, Jareth had first captured him for a specific experiment of his. Jareth had planned on transforming the boy into a goblin, but once transformed, Toby would be much more similar to the goblin's ancestors- large, ferocious and intelligent. It would have taken a lot of Jareth's power to accomplish such a feat, but much less than transforming an entire city. After the transformation, Jareth had planned on training him to become a great leader. Jareth was sure that Toby would have inspired the other goblins to bring about a revolution. He would have been ruler of all goblins and Jareth's right hand man.

When all of the Goblin King's careful plans were foiled by Sarah, Jareth saw the potential within Sarah herself. But it wasn't until she had defeated him that she became a part of his new plan.

There was yet another reason Jareth wanted Sarah here in the Underground, but it was something Jareth rarely admitted to himself. He had been foolish before. Just as she had been about to defeat him, he had let himself show... feeling. Maybe that had been, ultimately, what had defeated him. Emotion was something he rarely succumbed to, but she had made it all too easy for him. Just as he had told her four years ago- she had turned his world upside down.

Jareth vowed that such a lapse would never happen again. He had disgraced himself entirely last time and now he had to make amends.

He was willing to do anything to have her power. He would fawn over her, flatter her, do whatever she desired... within certain boundaries, of course. If she defied him as she had last time, his first plans to seduce her would be ruined. He would then have to resort to threats, but only then. Right now he was going to do whatever it took to have her complete devotion. Only then could he strip her of her powers. He was taking no chances this time. He would need her complete trust.

And as to the boy, Toby. He was simply a backup plan if Sarah did refuse to bend to his will. After studying Sarah intently these last few years Jareth doubted that she would be so willing to give up her brother again.

And, either way, when she finally did comply, he would have the boy. He would raise him as his own and teach him everything he needed to know to become the leader that Jareth had envisioned earlier. The boy was still young enough to be easily swayed by gifts and candies.

And whatever happened Jareth knew one thing for sure: that he would have his revolution. He would have a grand kingdom at last. He would not allow anyone, not even pretty Sarah, to deny him that.

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A/N So now we finally know Jareth's past. We also know why he wants Sarah back in the Underground. But poor Sarah is to be left in the dark. And naughty naughty Jareth. You better hope your plans of seducing Sarah pans out, because she can be a feisty one... XD

On that note... please please please review!!! It's like receiving the best birthday present ever when you do :D Think of it as taking the place of $ that would normally be spent on a great book. I don't receive anything for writing this other than the knowledge I have made my readers happy.

Thanks for reading ~TheArtist