Breaking Barriers (Chapter 28 up)

Jareth entered his own room again with a certain amount of grim satisfaction. He was glad that he had put her back in her place. The contrary little minx had had it coming. But according to his plan he was supposed to appear intimidating with seductive tendancies... Instead he had come off as cold and caustic. He couldn't help himself. The girl, albeit attractive, was incredibly irksome. Her stubborn ways simply begged him to take charge. No matter. There would be time enough to repair the damage he had caused over their little argument.

Walking over to a wall that appeared unremarkable to the common eye Jareth gave a wave of his hand revealing the concealed door to his bed chamber. He pulled off his high heeled boots and stretched out across his bed. The good mood he had been in earlier came upon him again. Jareth laughed quietly to himself. Her face had been quite comical after that last remark had set in.

"I'll just let her fret about that for the night." He muttured to himself with a smirk.

He admired Sarah's tenacity. When she had pinned him against his throne he had almost forgotten that he was the one in control. In fact, for a brief moment, he had wanted to forget. It was unbelievable the things Sarah could make him want to do. It was upon realizing this that the Goblin King knew he must be more guarded in the future. If he was to get what he needed from the girl he had to eradicate any influence she may have over him. Unfortunately, the meddlesome emotions that Sarah had invoked in him recently were leading to long and drawn-out arguments when Jareth needed only to give swift orders or calculated seductive advances that rendered the girl empty-handed. But she was insufferable. Had she not been so damn defiant in the first place he may have lost interest in her and moved onto something else. But no, that really would be too easy for darling Sarah. No, he wouldn't be surprised if she remained a spoiled bitch until the end. Out of all the people he had met throughout his long life only she had had the power to disarm him completely. That was what he found so fascinating about her. And what he knew would ultimately be his undoing if he were to allow her to continue pulling the marionette's strings. Any emotions he had towards the girl needed to be destroyed else he would witness his own destruction.

Still, thought Jareth, he couldn't deny the fact that seducing Sarah was most definitely going to be enjoyable.

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Sarah stared at the concealed doorway that Jareth had so recently vacated in fury. It was HIM? HE was the one who had led her back to the castle?! The one who had "rescued" her?! Sarah seethed, pacing about her room, now devoid of a balcony. No wonder "Hoggle" had shown bland disinterest to her jests! The magic... she couldn't believe she had been tricked into thinking that Hoggle possessed magic. But of course, Hoggle was one of the few beings in this crazy land Sarah dared trust. Jareth had obviously known this and had seized the opportunity. She couldn't believe what a fool he had made of her- what a fool he always made her feel! Somehow he always managed to turn the guilt back on her. She had had every right to demand where Hoggle was, but because she had "snuck into Jareth's private chambers" that answer had been denied her despite the fact that if Jareth hadn't brought her unwillingly to the Underground she wouldn't have been in his private chambers in the first place! It was his fault, not her's, but somehow he always had a way of confusing her into thinking the opposite! It wasn't fair!

But even more confusing to her was Jareth's actions towards her. She had sworn that at that moment he had been about to kiss her. In a strange way she had wanted it to happen, but she refused to believe that she had developed feelings for him. Just thinking of all the cruel things he had done to her and her brother banished any such feelings from her.

Infuriated, and not sure what else to do, Sarah got ready for bed. She supposed her body must be exhausted after all the tribulations it had been put under throughout the day, even if in her present state her mind was unable to realize that. She looked down at her clothes. They certainly were looking worse for the wear. Her white cotton shirt and blue jeans were covered in bloodstains from her incident earlier, not to mention the mud caked around her ankles. She felt filthy. If she was going to end up staying for the long-term (heaven forbid) she was going to have to demand a shower of some sorts. Hoping for at least a change of clothes Sarah walked over to the wardrobe and pulled it open.

"Oh no..." Sarah groaned.

There was nothing in the wardrobe at all. Nothing save for a single item of clothing. An item of clothing that had, in fact, been haunting her dreams of late. The gaudy, Cinderella-esque dress hung on a hook in the closet nearly taking up all the space. It's presence could mean only one thing: that Jareth expected Sarah to wear this to their dinner in three days time. Sarah nearly took the door of the closet and bashed her head in. That lecherous pig didn't even see fit to give her a simple nightgown! Supressing another groan, Sarah slammed shut the doors, unable to bear the sight of the cursed thing. Couldn't have Jareth at least supplied some sort of sleeping garment? Then again, she couldn't imagine the Goblin King sleeping in anything other than his birthday suit...

Sarah flushed pink at that thought. She quickly banished the resulting image from her mind and forced herself to concentrate on the dilemma at hand.

There was no way she was going to sleep in these clothes. They reeked of blood and sweat and even though the bed belonged to Jareth, she didn't have the heart to soil such lovely silk sheets. But... removing her clothing here? Sarah did not enjoy the thought of leaving herself so vulnerable to the Goblin King. Especially when his room was just to the right of hers. After all, the man DID know her dreams... what else could he do with those crystals of his? He must have been watching her throughout her journey in the Labyrinth somehow. Sarah did not yet know the extent of the Goblin King's magical powers, but she guessed that they were not very limited. Sarah looked about the room, suddenly wary. He could be watching her right now for all she knew! She suddenly felt very trapped. He had her. He had her and there was nothing she could do about it.

But these clothes! The more they remained the more Sarah became aware of their absolute filth. Sarah glared at the ceiling. If the pervert was watching her now, then she at least wanted him to know how pissed she was! This was getting ridiculous! Jareth had already embarrased her enough for one day, and she was damned if he was going to embarrass her when he was not even present! Something as silly as sleeping in the nude should not trouble her after what she had been made to go through this day. She should not be ashamed for what she was forced to do by the change in her circumstances and she certainly wasn't going to sleep in these filthy clothes simply because the Goblin King hadn't supplied her with pajamas!

In defiance, Sarah ripped the clip out of her hair...

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Jareth had still been reclining in his bed when a little "late night ennui" took over him. Aka boredom. After mulling over his thoughts and actions of the day he was not yet tired. Oh what to do, what to do...? He supposed he always could go terrorize the goblins. Of course. That was always an option. However the game had become quite wearisome over the years. This was not helped by the fact that his citizens were complete simpletons. They hardly recognized when they were being made fun of and where was the enjoyment in that? Surely there must be something else to do...

But there was nothing. The degradation of his kingdom had left it the least sought after in the Underground. There were no visitors or tradesmen. Nobody even wished to make war on his kingdom. Yes, life had become rather dull lately.

But as for the present? Jareth was about to make his way to his personal library and perhaps kick a few goblins along the way, when a pesky little thought entered his brain. He had slipped out of his bedchamber and almost made his way out the door when he happened to glance at that ridiculously happy landscape he had created to conceal the passageway to Sarah's room. Jareth smiled slowly as a wicked thought came to him. Perhaps a little viewing of Sarah's own late night ennui would cure his?

Now it really was against the Goblin King's better judgement to spy on the girl as if he were an adolescent schoolboy, but Jareth maintained that it was in hopes of finding future evidence of her ineptness that he did this. Besides, he deserved a good laugh after his victory today. Jareth wondered if she had discovered his little "gift" for her in her closet yet? With a small smile Jareth opened the doorway and walked through the corridor, hoping she hadn't. Pressing his gloved hands silently against the pane of glass he knew Sarah would only view as a mirror, Jareth was suddenly struck with the notion at how ridiculous he must look. At that thought he had half a mind to turn around right then, but he continued to defend himself. If she did discover the secret within his crystals he would have to have some way of controlling her. He did not doubt she would unlock their mysteries at some point in the future. He might as well embrace the strange situation while he was at it. Hesitantly he peered inside.

It was getting quite dark in the room, but once his eyes adjusted he was able to distinguish Sarah's form from the rest of the objects in the room. To his delight, the Goblin King noticed that Sarah was just now opening the closet door. He watched victoriously as Sarah's face fell. Oh she was not happy, he fairly chuckled. Not happy indeed. He watched as she stared at the object, dumbfounded for a moment. Then came the anger. Even in the darkness Jareth could see Sarah's face turning dark red. Jareth couldn't help but grin. He loved seeing that petulant look on Sarah's face. Perhaps that was part of the reason he tried Sarah's patience so often. With a sharp jerk Sarah slammed the door of the closet shut, almost making Jareth start. My, my she was a fiery one.

Then he noticed another change of expression. He witnessed as Sarah looked down at herself and pulled at her unkempt clothes. Her nostrils flared in disgust.

"That's right, my pet," muttered the Goblin King under his breath, "No sweet pajamas for you to snuggle against in your sleep: yet another punishment for your little disappearance this afternoon. I guess you have no choice. You'll have to sleep in your stinking, ruined garments..."

Hatred twisted Sarah's features, and this time Jareth couldn't help but release a slight breathless chuckle. There's no escaping this one, Sarah...

But with a sudden twist of her hand, all that Jareth had assumed changed. Sarah threw the clip that had been in her hair at the floor in fury. She grasped the bottom of her shirt with a look of determination. What was she-?

Jareth's heart almost stopped beating when in one fell swoop she pulled off her filthy top. Her jeans followed in swift pursuit. Both were tossed in a corner. Before he knew it, Jareth was viewing far more of Sarah than he had ever dreamed: her long dark hair spread about her shoulders; her arms still attempted to conceal herself in humility. Even Jareth could not deny that she was a perfectly delectable sight. But before he could lose his head entirely, Sarah mercifully turned her back to him. Unfortunately this portion of her body was almost as enticing. Before he could stop himself, Jareth took in her form, and felt an almost painful throb in his loins. Even in the dim light he could detect the smooth, porcelain skin of her lower back, her long pale legs, the soft curve of her breast...in a moment she would be reaching behind her back and unclasping a certain undergarment...

Jareth tore his gaze away. In a flash he concealed the doorway. He slammed the door shut with sheer will and tore into his bedchamber. He flung himself onto his bed and prayed to whatever gods existing he could forget what he saw.

Hours later, Jareth was finally able to fall into a fitful sleep, but not before one last memory plagued him. He remembered how Sarah had so openly kissed him when she had supposed him her friend.

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A/N Thanks for reading ;) ~TheArtist