At the edge of time and space

“Rise and shine, Sarah,” a familiar voice called.

Sarah groggily rose out of bed and yawned. Opening the curtains to let in the bright sun, she stretched
and inhaled the scent of breakfast cooking on the stove. She walked to the bathroom, rubbing one eye
with a fist. Her long sleeved t-shirt hung off one shoulder and her socks did not match, but she could
care less. Brushing her teeth and moving her hair out of the way, she spit into the sink and looked in the
mirror.

Her features were pale and she looked unhealthy. After washing her face, she walked out of the
bathroom and went downstairs, not bothering to change into her day clothes.

“Sarah, it’s almost noon,” her mother turned from the stove, “Up late as usual?”

“Sort of,” Sarah smiled sheepishly and sat down, one leg under her and the other bent upright.

“Sunny side up?” her mother grinned at her.

“Yea, sure,” Sarah sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Her mother started to prepare her eggs.

“Me and your father will be out of town for the weekend,” her mother said, a hand on her hip and the
other on the handle of the frying pan. “It would be great if you could just tidy up here while we’re
gone.”

“Aw mom!” Sarah whined. “But I’ve got stuff to do.”

Her mother shook her head and sighed. She then shut the stove off with a sharp click that made Sarah
jump.

“Voila,” her mother said, setting the plate in front of Sarah. “Just how you like them.”

The smile wiped off Sarah’s face and her heart started to race. The plate was stacked with rotten
peaches.

“What’s wrong, Sarah?” her mother’s face saddened. “I thought you loved peaches.”

Moving out of the chair, Sarah stumbled back, tears in her eyes.

And then woke up slumped against a cool surface.

To her horror, she realized that she was still in the dungeon. Wiping the tears from her eyes and sitting
up, she put her hand on her stomach. The pain of the knife was gone and there was no sign of a wound.
Sarah leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. She had to get out of here. Maybe they had
forgotten her.

She used the wall to push herself up, but failed. Sarah felt faint. Her legs felt strangely weak and she
kept stumbling and falling. She felt like a new born calf, but hell even THEY eventually got the hang of
it. Grumbling angrily to herself, she tried again, only to fall over once more with a cry.

“Hey girl, come on now,” said a soft familiar voice coming towards her. She looked up to see Balls
coming to her side. He helped her move back to the wall where she relaxed against it.

“It’s a side effect,” he said. “It’ll wear off soon. But then....we never used the swords on a kid so we
didn’ really know whats goin on.”

“I feel like someone just gave me a huge dose of Valium,” she groaned.

“Is dat some kind of magic stuff?” Balls asked.

“Sort of,” Sarah muttered, not wanting to explain. Balls sighed.

“You know, Jareth ain’t all dat bad,” Balls said. “He can seem kinda mean sometimes but he’s pretty
nice in general.”

“Nice?!” Sarah almost laughed. “Are you being serious? Maybe he’s nice to you, but he’s certainly not
nice to me and really, who can blame him? I beat his ass three years ago.”

“Yea, well you obviously didn’ beat his ass all dat much since youze back here again,” Balls’ tone
became a bit sharp. Sarah forgot that he was ever so loyal.

“Youze scared of him, aint you?” Balls asked softly.

“No!” Sarah almost yelled and then calmed down. “No. Not at all.” He shot her a look.

“Terrified,” she sighed. “I wasn’t afraid before, but now...now things are different. Now a few simple
words can’t stop him. Now, he’s out for revenge. He wants to make me suffer, he said so himself.”

“Aw, well the King says a lot of things,” Balls assured her and then leaned closer, “But I’d watch that
bitch tongue o’ yours. Youze don’t want to make him angry.” Sarah rolled her eyes.

“No, listen,” Balls said, his voice dropping, “I know where my loyalties lie, but I also know His Majesty
and he isn’t all milk and honey.”

“But you just said...,” Sarah started.

“Shhh!” he hissed. “Forget what I said before. Just don’t play games and don’t fight back.” Sarah
almost laughed.

“You obviously don’t know me very well,” she chuckled. “Plus, I’m stuck here forever according to
him, so really, I’ve got nothing to lose.” Balls’ eyes slowly drifted to hers.

“Sarah, if he knows youze scared of him, you don’t know what he might do to exploit that,” he said,
concern in his voice, “His Majesty is just, but he can certainly be cruel.”

“Just!?” Sarah screeched. “You call stabbing me and making me go through constant fear, stress, and
pain just?! All I did was save my brother and yes, maybe I refused his obsessive desires for me, but I
was 15! Hell, I collected troll dolls and secretly played with Barbie and My Little Pony toys! I was a
baby. I didn’t understand.”

“But if youze had the chance now, would youze take him up on it?” he asked. Sarah sighed.

“I don’t know,” she said wearily. “I don’t know anything anymore.” They sat silently until Balls got up.

“Come on, girl, you need rest,” he picked her up gently. He was surprisingly strong and she was glad
that she could at least have someone to talk to. A door appeared in front of them and he carried her
through it.

The Goblin King stood in the doorway, watching both as they walked further and further away. His
mouth curved into an arrogant smile. Things were getting much more interesting around here, indeed.

*****************************************************************

Sarah sighed as she sunk into the warmth of the water. It felt so nice to relax finally and to wash off all
the sweat and dirt and take care of herself a bit. Leaning her head back, she rested it against the side of
the tub, fingertips dripping water on the outside of the bathtub as her hands rested on either side. The
water was eerily dark because of the bath salt that she had used, but it felt amazing on her sore
muscles. Sighing, she looked around the room.

Oh crap.

Where was the ‘rap video’ outfit?

Startled, she sat up and looked around. CRAP!

Suddenly the door burst open.

“Hey Sarah I just wanted to...WHOA! SORRY!” Balls turned bright red. Sarah grabbed the towel and
covered herself. It was now officially soaked.

“Umm...,” was all Sarah could say.

Balls made a sigh of relief. “Phew, didn’t see nothin,” he said, as if he was barely missed by something
posing a mortal danger. Sarah made a face.

“Didn’t know I was that repulsive, Balls,” she smirked but he merely waved it off.

“Listen, go to the library after youze done, aight?” Balls said. “Now I’ze gots to go. Have fun.”

“But wait, where is....,” the door slammed. “....the library.” Sarah rose from the warm bath with the
towel wrapped tightly around her torso. She made wet foot prints and splotches on the stone as she
walked with the soaked towel.  

Opening the door, she peered left and right. Coast was clear. Not knowing where she was going, she
was hoping she would at least find a guest room where she could dry herself and put on some clothes
and perhaps brush her hair. Her hair pressed to her skin in its dampness and she shivered from the cold
of the Goblin King’s castle.

Down the hallway, she saw a door. It was a simple door and she had dearly hoped that the room was
unoccupied. She walked quickly to the door, holding her towel just in case and peered inside. No one
was in the room and so she closed the door behind her. Yet under closer inspection, the room seemed
strange and dark and things glinted in the faint light through closed curtains. Walking over and opening
the curtains, she looked around the room and gasped.

It was an armory filled with every kind of weapon one could possibly think of. Except guns of course.
Jareth was too sophisticated and arrogant for guns.

‘If I know the Goblin King, and I think I do, I am sure he is not one to give a quick painless death,’ she
thought darkly.

Turning she saw a most majestic sword. Her hand instinctively went to its handle, but her wrist was
caught in mid-air.

“Uh-uh,” Jareth taunted, “No touching. You might hurt yourself.” The mocking smile that played on his
face disappeared and turned into his infamous glare.

“Why are you here?”

“Because I was taking a bath and I didn’t have any clothes and then Balls walked in on me, but he
didn’t see anything, but then I grabbed the towel and covered myself anyways and it got wet and now I
need a place to dry off and some clothes too,” she finished in one breath and then added. “Please.”

“Hmm,” Jareth smirked. “I rather like you like this. Leaves nothing to the imagination.” His eyes stroked
down her body and she felt herself shiver the slightest bit. He caught the slight movement and smiled
inwardly.

Letting go of her wrist finally, he willed himself not to take her into his arms and ravish her, but oh how
tempting it was. How tempting she was. So very tempting. But he mustn’t indulge until the moment
comes. Oh no, he wouldn’t ruin it just yet. His victory over her was only beginning and it began with
that shiver.

“Come,” he said, opening the door for her like a gentlemen. He led her to a room that held a wardrobe.
Peering inside, she smiled at the beautiful colors of the dresses, but stilled as she felt his warm hands on
her bare shoulders and his breath on her neck.

“I assume you will be wanting some food and drink as well?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she managed to choke out before breaking herself away. She looked up to see him smiling at
her wickedly. He then bowed and left the room. Sighing, she let the towel slip to the floor and pulled
out a red velvet dress with gold embroidery. She felt strange in it, especially because she wore no
underwear. Yet, lucky for her, her breasts were not very large and thus did not sag too bad and so she
wore the dress without undergarments, feeling slightly uncomfortable but realizing that she had been left
with no choice.

After brushing her hair, she walked out of the room and saw the Goblin King waiting for her. His face
was expressionless and he said nothing as he led her towards the dining hall. Sitting down, she
immediately sat with one leg under her and one upright, diving into the food in front of her and loudly
eating and drinking her water. The goblin waiters and their King stared at her while she ate.

Yet she did not stop until she was finished and then wiped her mouth with the napkin and looked up to
see everyone staring.

“What?” she looked around.

“Well you certainly do fit in Sarah,” he smirked at her, “You certainly have the manners of kingdom.”
Sarah could feel the iciness in his voice and quicky grew angry.

“It isn’t my fault, you’ve been starving me all this time,” she said angrily, shoving bread into her mouth.

“Jareth did you forget to feed your pet?” a soft voice drawled. Sarah stopped in mid-chew. She had
not seen anyone so beautiful and she found herself staring. This woman, if she was human which Sarah
doubted, had long golden blonde hair that hung in soft waves. Her eyes were bluer than anything she
had ever seen. They were almost an unrealistic shade of blue. She wore a thin dress of blue velvet,
complemented by the black lacy lingerie that could be seen through it ever so subtly. Her skin was like
that of gold. She was taller than Sarah, but not taller than Jareth and she walked with the grace of a
queen.

The woman walked to Sarah and peered down at her. Sarah swallowed the morsel of bread in her
mouth and stared up at the beauty.

“Stand up,” the woman commanded. Sarah complied numbly and the woman grabbed her hand and
pulled her closer to her, stroking her cheek with slender, soft hands.

“Scraggly little thing, isn’t she?” the woman smirked, circling her, “Drab brown mortal hair. Average
body. Imperfect in every way. Really Jareth, where do you find such wretched creatures? And
yet.....look at me, doll.” Sarah looked up, her eyes fighting tears of anger and humiliation. “You have
the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Green, dark, and passionate with the smallest hint of
innocence. If I were Jareth, I would have cut them out a long time ago and placed them in a jar in my
room so I could look at them all day long without having to deal with the other more.....disappointing
features.”

Jareth’s sudden laughter made her jump and she shifted uncomfortably. The woman sat down in her
seat and pushed the plate aside. A plump little goblin ran and put a plate full of steaming food and a
goblet of wine in front of the woman, taking Sarah’s empty plate and running off with it. Sarah turned to
leave and started to walk out of the room. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” the Goblin King’s voice stopped her. She turned towards him
with angry eyes.

“I assume you want to dine alone?” she said.

“Yes,” the woman answered.

“No,” the Goblin King countered and both stared at him in surprise. The woman narrowed her eyes at
him. “The more the merrier. Sit down, Sarah.”

“Oh look, there’s no where to sit,” Sarah smiled and started to run back, but the doors had slammed
shut when she reached them. Turning around, she glared at him and walked over to the table. “Are you
suggesting I sit on the floor?”

“There’s no room for you darling, go away,” the woman said sharply, sipping her wine.

“Sit,” the Goblin King ordered and she sighed, moving the dress under her so that her bare skin would
not touch the cold stone floor. It was not comfortable, but at least she wasn’t doing anything too
strenuous. The beautiful woman glared daggers at Jareth who continued to eat his dinner ever so
elegantly.

The two of them seemed to talk for what seemed like hours about absolutely nothing. At one point,
Sarah though she was going to fall asleep and fell over from her sitting position, initiating a snide remark
from the beautiful woman and a sharp comment from the Goblin King. Yet soon they stopped paying
attention to her fully, and she curled up on the cold floor in a deep uncomfortable sleep.

She felt someone kick her sharply in the arm and she moved her head up, infuriated. Her anger ceased
as she looked up and saw a pair of tall leather boots. Her heart froze in terror for some reason. All
Sarah could hear was her own quick breath and her heart thundering in her chest. She did not know
why she suddenly felt this except for the fact that she realized that she was completely exhausted and
altogether powerless against him and drained. She knew she was too weak to face him. He knew it
too.

Yet he did not stop her when she stood up and stepped back from him.

“Leave me alone,” she groaned, looking up at him. “Please.”

 

“If its any consolation, I promise not to cut out your eyes and put them in a jar in my room,” he said
softly, candle light dancing in his glare. “But you don’t really have a say in whether I leave you alone or
not.”

“Don’t I?” she asked, exasperated. “You know you’re only in it for the challenge, Goblin King.. Well, I
am simply too exhausted to play your games tonight. ”

“Darling, Sarah” Jareth purred. “If I am playing games, then you have surely been the loser by now.”
He grabbed her arm in a painful grip. “Do not think you can dissect me so easily. I am not one to be
toyed with.”

“I-I’m not,” she uttered. “I-I mean, I don’t...”

“I love the smell of fear on a woman,” Jareth smiled, moving her closer to him. “‘Terrified,’ are you?”
Sarah’s eyes widened. He had heard their conversation....or Balls had told him. But Balls was her
friend...he wouldn’t dare.......

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, trying to twist her arm from him.

“Tell me, Sarah, what is so terrifying about me?” he questioned, a sinister gleam in his eyes. “What is it
that makes you tremble in my presence?” Their eyes met and she felt herself blush slightly. “Or perhaps
it is for other reasons?”

“What are you talking about?” Sarah asked, angry, trying to twist out of his grip, but he only held her
tighter and she winced.

“Your eyes betray you,” he said to her.

“Yea?” she smirked. “Well, maybe YOUR eyes betray you. Hallucinating, Goblin King? Are you sure
you are fit to run a kingdom in the this condition?”

A hand rose and she whimpered, trying to shield herself. Yet it did not come down and merely settled
on her other shoulder.

“Don’t make me lose my temper, Sarah,” he whispered gently. “You may very well live to regret it.”

“You’re a monster,” she said it ever so softly.

“Am I?” he asked. “I do believe that I have been more than generous to you. I let you bathe. I clothed
you. I fed you. I put you under medical care. And I am still a monster? You are quite hard to please.” 

“You do it on whim!” Sarah cried. “You only decided to feed me today! I went for days with no food!”

“Remember Sarah,” the Goblin King said sharply, “You are being punished. If I were to be cruel, I
would feed you even less often. I would not let you bathe and I would make you roam in a towel...or in
nothing at all. You think you have the worst of it?” He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her out of
the dining hall and down a long corridor. He pulled her down a flight of dark stairs that lit up as they
walked and then down a row of cells. She could not see anyone in those cells as they passed by
quickly, but she could make out the faintest outline of eyes in the darkness.

He finally stopped her and pushed her inside a dark cell. The door closed behind her and she ran to the
bars.

“Don’t...don’t do this,” she pleaded. He smiled at her through the bars.

“I hope this will make you learn to appreciate my generosity,” he hissed. Sarah’s eyes pleaded with him
and then she felt something tugging at her dress. Looking down, she saw an old woman, her ghastly
face turned towards Sarah and her withered hands grasping at her.

Sarah screamed and moved back against the wall. The old woman started to crawl towards her,
moaning and staring at her with sunken eyes.

“Please,” Sarah begged, reaching out for him through the bars. “Please don’t leave me in here.” His
hand grasped hers and then lightly caressed her hand as his fingers trailed away.

“Good night, Sarah,” she heard him say and then he was nowhere to be seen. Tears of fear and panic
rose up in Sarah as the old woman crawled towards her. Crying, she did not know what to do. The
only place where the cell was lit was at the front and she didn’t dare go deeper into the darkness. As
the woman crawled closer, Sarah opened her mouth to scream and then fainted.

She was jolted awake at the sound of screaming. Someone was screaming and then a cold laugh bit
through the darkness. She could recognize that laugh anywhere. The scream turned into sobs.

“Please, Your Majesty,” the voice sobbed. “I meant it not. I meant it not!”

“What was it that you meant then?” the Goblin King’s voice was cruel.

“I only meant to show him how he had hurt me!” the voice cried louder. “Oh, how he hurt me....”

“You tortured him for hours before he died,” the King growled.

“That’s nothing compared to the lifetime of torture he led me through!” the voice was erratic now. “It
wasn’t supposed to be like this. You don’t under-“

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” the Goblin King said, “You killed him and then took his money.”

“Noo!” the voice cried. “No! It wasn’t like that!”

“You deserve to rot in this cell for eternity,” the Goblin King said, “That is your sentence.” The voice
howled with pain and sadness.

Sarah hugged herself tighter and pressed against the cold bars. Hearing footsteps, she closed her eyes
and pretended to be asleep. The footsteps stopped and felt him lean next to her.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked gently. Green eyes flew open, but she said nothing. “Perhaps you need
another night in the dungeon?”

“I slept fine,” she answered hastily.

“That’s good to hear,” he smirked. “Now go back to sleep.”

“What?” she turned towards him and he waved a hand over her face. She slumped, hair tumbling down
the front of her face. The Goblin King unlocked the cell door and proceeded to pick her up and carry
her out. Looking down at her, she looked beautiful in his arms, angelic almost, lost in the throes of the
deepest sleep one could ever have. He smiled to think what he had in store for her.

******************************************************************** 

Opening her eyes, Sarah realized she was in a very dimly lit room. Her wrists were above her head,
chained to the ceiling and her ankles shackled loosely to the floor. She moved them around, trying to
regain the blood flow. They stung with the new movement. How long had she been here? Stretching
out, she looked around the dimly lit room but could not make out anything specific.

 

“Rise and shine, Sarah,” a voice taunted from the shadows. Panic in her eyes, she struggled with the
chains but to no avail.

“Don’t waste your energy yet, dear,” his cold voice mocked. “There is much more fun to be had.”

“Goblin King,” she said, with panicked breaths, “Let me go. Let me go right now. This was not part of
the agreement!”

“Part of the agreement?” He stepped out from the shadows. “I don’t remember making any agreement
with you.”

“But you said all I had to do was be a jester,” Sarah said softly, her voice on the verge of panic.

“I said no such thing, silly creature,” he softly laughed.

The shadows played on his features, making him appear darkly beautiful. He wore a white shirt,
unbuttoned halfway in the front and black leather pants as well the trademark boots. His hair was in its
usual style and his mismatched eyes roamed over her body.

‘Predator,’ she thought.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, anger and fear in her voice.

“My, my, my,” he spoke softly, “How. We. Have. Grown.” He smiled cruelly at her and she was
surprised to let out a fearful whimper, trying to distance herself away from him, despite her
imprisonment.

So this was what Balls had warned her about. Her heart beat loudly in her chest. He longed to press his
ear to it to hear her heartbeat up close, the thundering drum of her being. Yet being Fae, he could hear
it perfectly well from a few feet.

As he stepped closer, her eyes widened at the object in his hand. A riding crop. Swallowing hard, she
concentrated her attention on the floor.

“You’re not going to hit me with that, are you?” she asked, ever so innocently.

One gloved finger tilted her chin towards him and he felt himself lost in those emerald pools. Soft leather
stroked her cheek. How beautiful she looked, so pale and lovely against the harsh background. An
angel in a dark cell, tied up with chains. For a moment, he pondered what would happen if he simply
left her like this and let her stay here for eternity because the sight of her in this position, in these
surroundings made his heart skip a beat. He could barely resist the urge to grab that face and kiss her,
but instead smirked and stepped away.

“Let’s play a game, shall we?” he said, circling her, the crop beating softly in the palm of his other hand.

“If you answer truthfully, you don’t get whipped,” he said almost cheerfully. “Sounds fun, eh?”

“Loads,” she murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

“Question one,” he began.

“Wait, why did you have to tie me up for this?” she hastily interrupted. “I probably would have
answered the same way in pajamas and a hospital bed.”

“No,” the Goblin King said, “you wouldn’t have. And this just makes it more interesting, don’t you
agree?”

“Oh, yea sure,” Sarah said, in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “Loads and loads of fun for me. I’m just a
big ball of fun. And I’m interesting too. How ‘bout that? Let’s torture me and beat me with a whip
because I’m soo interesting and fun!”

“Darling Sarah.” he chuckled softly, “Is there ever a moment when you keep that mouth shut?”

She glared at him, but said nothing. “Now then, Question one, why did that girl wish you away to me?”

Sarah sighed. “Because we...we don’t get along.” She shivered as he traced the whip down the small of
her back.

“You’re not telling me everything,” he said in a sing song voice.

“Alright, well she hates my essays in creative writing as well,” she said.

“Sarah,” he warned, the whip now trailing down her hip and coming to rest on her outer thigh.

“She does!” cried Sarah, her voice strangely shaky as he traced the whip up and down her leg.

“What were they about?” the Goblin King stared deeply into her eyes. Sarah swallowed.

“Ummm...,” and then gasped as the whip slipped to her inner thighs, making the dress crease, and
traced down from there. She saw a hungry smile on his face and then looked away. “The Labyrinth.
They were about the Labyrinth.”

“And why would you write about the Labyrinth?” he asked her, smiling as he watched her back arch in
response to the crop.

“Because it’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Because some of my best friends are here. Because it’s a
dream.”

“Is it?” he murmured, his eyes unable to tear from her body. “Question two, and I have been pondering
this for quite a while. Why did you refuse your dreams the last time you were here?”

“I already told you...,” she started and then yelped as the crop came down against her back.

“That’s not a good enough answer,” he said through gritted teeth.

“What is it you want me to say!?” Sarah cried, fresh tears cascading down her cheeks from the sting of
the crop. “I don’t know what else to tell you! I was 15 and my brother was in danger! You think I
would be that selfish as to give everything up for him?”

“But you were selfish enough to wish him away to me,” the Goblin King glared.

“I didn’t even know you were real!” Sarah said, “I didn’t know any of this was real!”

“Is this real, Sarah?” He threw the crop aside and moved towards her. She countered with an uplifted
knee, but he grabbed it easily and smiled that cruel smile of his. She gasped as he used her uplifted
knee to move himself against her and his fingers traced up her dress, trickling up her smooth thigh. “Is
this real enough for you?”

 His lips met almost collision-like with hers and she moaned against his mouth Smiling against her
mouth, he held her to him as if afraid that she would slip away at any moment, groaning at the feel of her
breasts pressed against him firmly.

‘What the hell am I doing?’ her mind screamed. Yet her body refused to listen. In her mind, she wanted
to tear away, to hurt him, to scream at him, but she knew it was hopeless. She was too far in and there
was no going back.

 His mouth greedily and passionately took hers and he pressed her even closer to him, feeling the silk of
her skin and inhaling the scent that was Sarah Williams.

His hands entangled themselves in the softness of her hair and yanked her head back, giving him access
to her neck. He kissed and nibbled on the nape of it softly, relishing in the taste and thrilled by the way
her blood rushed faster through her veins. He could hear and feel her thundering heart beat and smiled
against her skin. Sarah made soft little gasps at the contact that his mouth and hands made with her bare
skin.

Yet finally with one last kiss, the candles in the room went out and she felt him move away from her.

“I surely hope I brought you back to reality,” she heard him say before a door opened and closed
loudly, leaving her alone in the dark.

****************************************************************

A/N: Any thoughts?