The Darkened World

Intimidation by the Goblin King

A/N: Warnings of slight smut towards the end. If you don't like, don't read. 

Sarah truly regretted her surety that he could not intimidate her, he was slightly frightening at the moment. She wondered if she could have done something, anything really, to have avoided such an outcome, and decided that she could have never opened her mouth. 

If she had just shown a little fear, if she had not decided to taunt him, then she would have never been placed in such a situation. But no, she could not swallow her pride and leave the sleeping bear be. 

Instead, she had to speak and get herself into trouble. Truly, she could make a business of getting into sticky situations and retire by the time she was forty. 

"You truly should watch what that pretty little mouth of yours says." No, make that thirty. 

"Why? Because you are so scary?" Damnit, why couldn't she just shut up? He already had her pinned to a tree because she had been too stupid to not turn her back on him. He was like a viper waiting to strike and he had taken his chance when he was given the opportunity. She had been the stupid girl in the old stories who gave him a chance.

"I can be, love, I can be more cruel than you." Jareth threatened and Sarah craned her neck to glare up at him. Sarah knew it was a bad idea to bait the Goblin King, to offer a challenge, and yet she found it impossible to stop the words from leaving her idiotic mouth. 

"Sure you can." The sarcasm nearly dripped from her and she regretted it instantly as the Goblin King pressed his face closer to hers. 

"Is that a challenge?" Jareth nearly purred as a delighted look crossed his face and Sarah bit her tongue to keep from speaking. She would not issue a challenge, not to him, but she feared that it was already too late. 

"I think it was. You, of all people, should know better than to so." Jareth stated in a condensing tone that Sarah greatly disliked. 

"It was not a challenge." Sarah stated as she attempted to back pedal but knew it was too late. He was like a cat with a mouse and he was not about to let her go. Sarah was ashamed that she was the mouse. 

"Oh, but it was." Jareth corrected with a pleased grin and Sarah could not help but feel as if he had, once again, expertly manipulated her to do exactly as he wanted. She was a fool. 

"It was a statement." Sarah re-corrected and hoped that he would let it go, she knew he wouldn't, but she could hope. Her hope was very short lived. 

"They are the same thing and I feel so inclined to challenge that statement." Jareth declared and Sarah bit back her groan. Why had she not stayed silent? Why had she not waited for him to leave before she turned her back on him? She should have known better than to take her eyes off of him for even the shortest amounts of time. 

"I thought kings were supposed to be honorable?" Her questioned seemed to take him off guard, even for the smallest amount of time, and she counted it as a small victory. Jareth said nothing, simply gave her a look that clearly indicated for her to continue. 

"If you had any honor you would over look my misstep and allow for me to be on my way." 

"Perhaps, but that would be no fun." Jareth declared with a grin as if he knew he had caught her off guard by causally dropping the Aboveground term. It sounded strange, in his accent, but he, as always, made it work. 

"No, but it would be kingly." Sarah parred as she tried to, subtly, twist out of his hold. It was painfully obvious that he was stronger than her, but if she could just catch him by surprise...