Those Cruel Eyes Edition 1

Chapter 5

Two Years Later
"Emory! What are you doing on Daddy's throne?" Isadora crooned to her son. Little Emory had ahold of his father's riding crop, and was happily whacking it on the side of the throne and any goblin who came too close. Poor Paddle chose that moment to walk past the throne, carrying a large stack of folded laundry. Emory wrinkled his nose in a parody of his father and whipped Paddle with the crop, sending him tumbling. Isadora hid her smile behind her hand as she bent down to help Paddle pick up the fallen laundry.
"Jareth! You need to see our little ruler." Isadora called, not moving her eyes from her son. Jareth sauntered in as Isadora stood and put an arm around her waist. He smiled at his son's antics. "He will be a great ruler one day." He sighed.
The room suddenly went dark. A crystal conjured itself in midair and hung suspended without assistance. Isadora moved closer to her husband in fear. Emory paused his cooing to stare at the glowing crystal, wonder and fear etched in the concerned lines of his soft face. The crystal was cloudy, and suddenly a loud scream erupted from its depths.
"No! No, please! No! Jareth! Jareth! Help me! Oh, God, no!" a slap sounded. Jareth reached a hand out automatically as the crystal began to fall. He caught it and a scene unfolded. Jareth simply watched with a resigned and stony expression, while Isadora's eyes were wide with fright. It was Sarah, her husband standing before her. She was on the ground, holding her cheek, which had begun to bruise. Her eye was swollen and black, numerous cuts lacerated her perfect face. Her husband raised a fist for another blow when she cried out.
"Jareth! Please, you must help her!" Isadora begged, tearing her face from the ugly scene to her husband.
He turned sharply to her. "I owe that girl nothing. She probably deserves what she's getting. Why should I?" he snapped coldly. Isadora just stared at her husband, his abrupt and cold transformation unnerving her.
"If you won't do it for her, do it for me and Emory. Please." Isadora picked up their son and held him close to her. Jareth took a long look at his wife and son. He stroked Emory's pale face and sighed.
"Alright. I'll be right back." he kissed his wife and disappeared, forever changing their future together.

"Please, Robert, please. Don't hurt me!" Sarah cried. She was sprawled on the ground, her cheek bruising up from his first punch.
"You lying cheating bitch!" he yelled, "Who's Jareth? Is he the guy you've been screwing behind my back?" he pulled his fist back for another blow. Sarah threw her arms up to protect her face. The sound of splintering bone, but no pain. Sarah peeked through her hands. Jareth was standing protectively in front of her and Robert was on the floor. His nose was broken and he was trying to stem the flow of blood gushing from his nose like an open faucet.
"YOU!" Robert yelled, recognizing Jareth from the scene at his wedding. He clambered back up to his feet, slipping twice in his own blood.
Jareth said nothing, then abruptly he transformed into an owl and started attacking Robert with his needle-like talons. Robert started yelling and ran out the door. Jareth turned back into a human and slammed the door angrily, locking it with a flick of his wrist.
Sarah stayed on the floor, shock at Jareth's appearance rooting her to the spot. Her cheek throbbed and she winced, putting her hand back on it.
Jareth noticed and walked over to her. He squatted down and put a gloved hand on her cheek, his skin icy through the leather.
"He struck you," Jareth stated emotionlessly. "I did not arrive quickly enough." He stood and offered her a gloved hand. She just stared at it, speechless, trying to figure out his reasoning.
He sighed angrily. "You need to hurry. He will be back."
"I can't trust you," Sarah spoke finally. "You lied to me. Hoggle isn't dead."
He sneered, "Congratulations on learning the truth. I thought you'd be grateful when you found out that he wasn't dead. More expectations for me, hm? I can't trust you either. You tried to destroy my hold on my subjects, remember? So, I guess we are on even ground." he offered his hand again. Still, Sarah did not take it.
"How do I know you won't try to seduce me?"
Jareth let out his breath sharply and pulled his hand back to his side hastily. "I wouldn't. You hold no charms for me, Sarah Williams. Not anymore. And, for the sake of argument, even if you did, I would not try such things before my wife and son." He offered his hand again.
Sarah sat there a moment, but then took his hand reluctantly. He smirked, and the two disappeared just as Robert crashed through the front door.

"Daddy!" Emory yelled, seeing Jareth materialize in the throne room. Jareth abruptly let go of Sarah's hand and walked over to his son, arms outstretched. He picked him up and hugged him tightly to his chest. Just then, Isadora walked in and hugged her husband. She looked over and saw Sarah sitting on the ground, feeling uncomfortable and as out of place as a book in an electronic store.
"Oh, you poor dear," Isadora said, moving towards Sarah. She knelt down and started. When the girl was being beaten, Isadora had been so concerned with trying to convince Jareth to save the girl that she paid no heed to the girl's appearance. Sarah was a mirror image of Isadora, including the long, slightly wavy ebony hair, thin fingers, supple form. The only difference between the two was that Sarah looked older-poor humans- and her eyes were green instead of gold. Isadora ignored the initial surprise and helped Sarah to her feet. She smiled warmly, and Sarah was struck by a cold icicle of jealousy in her heart. How would Jareth ever love her with this kind and beautiful wife in the way? She forced herself to smile back, but the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes contradicted her smile.
Isadora led Sarah to her chambers, speaking soothingly to her. Jareth was left in the throne room with his son, who happily played with Jareth's hair.
Isadora lead Sarah to the Escher, surprised when the girl halted, a terrified look on her face. Isadora looked at her, mildly surprised, when something clicked. Her face relaxed.
"Ah... You are Sarah Williams, the girl who defeated my husband." she had a soft, mellifluous voice much like Jareth's only they sounded eerily like bells.
Sarah looked into Isadora's strange golden eyes. "How do you know me?"
Isadora smiled and led Sarah to-by her perspective- a random door. "He speaks often of you, although they are not the kindest things, I'm afraid. He gets very territorial about his Labyrinth." she giggled uncomfortably.
"He does have a kind heart though. You should see him when he plays with Emory. Ah, here we are," Isadora stopped and opened a tall door made of dark walnut. She escorted Sarah into the enormous room.
"Make yourself at home. There are clothes in the wardrobe, and various soaps and bandages in the bathroom." she smiled kindly. "When you are ready, take the third door to the right on the ceiling, and we will have dinner. Remember: right is left and up is down." she smiled again and closed the door, walking back to the family Sarah's dreamed about since she first met the Goblin King.