Those Cruel Eyes Edition 1

Chapter 16

Where did Emmeline go? Jareth screamed to himself. He was shoving prickly branches out of his way as he dashed madly through the jungle. I am such an idiot! He chastised himself. I never should've let Emmeline go running off alone, especially with Hoggle after her and the tasks waiting. What if she gets seriously hurt again and I'm not here to save her?
With a newfound vigor, Jareth started hacking at the vines and branches, more desperately than before and bordering on the edge of madness. Abruptly, he stopped. Jareth had reached the line that divided the jungle behind him from the endless desert in front of him. Without another second's hesitation, Jareth jumped over the line and sprinted as soon as his shoes touched the sand. He set off after Emmeline before she met their second task and possibly get killed.

"What?" Emmeline blurted, disbelievingly flabbergasted. "How is that even remotely possible? I just turned sixteen and Jareth became Goblin King hundreds of years ago!"
Aiden smiled sadly and brushed a lock of Emmeline's hair back behind her ear, a familiar habit of his. Emmeline leaned her head against his hand instinctively.
"That's where Hoggle comes in. He kind of... achem," he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Put a time pausing spell upon Jareth's entire town and made the humans that lived there just leave-,"
"But why?" Emmeline interrupted. "Why would Hoggle go through all that trouble? He hates me, Aiden."
Aiden smiled again at her, amused. "You didn't let me finish. He did it just in case Jareth wanted to come back in case the whole King thing didn't work out. You know your own house, right? Your mother was searching for a home and that's where she found you."
"Are you saying that... my house... is where Jareth's old house was?"
Aiden nodded, and then wrapped a comforting arm around Emmeline's shoulders as she tried to process all of the information she heard. Aiden looked at her again, then said, "Tell you what. Here," he slipped a small black stone with an intricate Celtic knot carving on the center into her hand. "When you make your decision, hold the rock tightly in your fist, then call Jareth a traitor. Say that you accept Hoggle as your ruler and friend, and then call for me. We'll take you back. We'll take you home. It'll be just you and me... forever."
Emmeline squeezed the stone in her fist and murmured, "I will." Aiden put a hand under her chin, tilted her head up, and-
"Emmeline!" Jareth's voice broke through the shelter of the trees. Emmeline's eyes flew open. Aiden was gone, but the small, warm stone was still clutched in her palm. With another heartrending cry, Jareth burst from the jungle and made a beeline straight for Emmeline. He reached out to hug her, but she recoiled from him as if he was going to harm her. Her eyes were wide and anxious, her face bloodless. Jareth froze in his tracks.
"Are... are you okay, Emmeline?" Jareth asked hesitantly. Emmeline flinched, then regained her composure. She pulled a lock of hair from behind her ear and started playing with it, avoiding Jareth's gaze.
"Yes... I'm fine..." she turned abruptly and started forward briskly, as if trying to shake Jareth off. Confused, Jareth followed her in the direction of their next challenge, wondering what and happened to Emmeline when Jareth was lost in thought at the stream.