The Darkened King

Back Into the Labyrinth

Jareth laughed as the world began to turn and Sarah shut her eyes. She hated teleportation, the first time she had been too concerned about Toby to notice anything and the second time she had been worried about her friend. The third time caught her unaware and she hated it.

Sarah felt as if she were on a roller coaster and her stomach was left behind in her world. She rested her head against Jareth's chest and gripped his shirt. Sarah felt as if she could not stand, as if her legs had also been left back in her world.

She would have much rather taken a cab. Jareth, on the other hand, was enjoying himself immensely. He grinned as she clung against him and he debated if he should teleport them back and forth between the worlds. It would be entertaining, but he had the strong suspicion that she would protest against it.

Such a pity.

"You're magical right? Then kindly make the world stop spinning." Sarah groaned as she gritted her teeth and tried not to throw up. Though the thought of what Jareth's expression would be made her want to grin. He would be surprised in the least.

"The world is still." Jareth said in amusement as he looked down at her. Her eyes were still shut tightly and her grip had not lessoned. He watched on as she cracked opened an eye and quickly shut it. Her lips pressed together and she hid her face in his chest, not unpleasantly, and he obliged by wrapping her in his arms.

It was at that moment that Jareth felt something he had first missed. It was a book that she must have tucked into her waistband. He knew, without needing to look, that it was the book he had given her that told of his world.

Jareth pressed his face into her hair and grinned. At least something of his had made it into her pants. He could not help but laugh at the irony of such things, it seemed fitting.

"Shut up." Sarah muttered as she tried to sort out her thoughts. Sarah listed the facts: She was back in the Underground, her family was somewhere in the Labyrinth, and she did not know where her friends were. Her assets included the book and the pocket knife in her back pocket. She also had her right words, if she could find them, and her lost memories, which Jareth needed.

Her list seemed shorter than was possible, but at least it was a list. She should have remembered that facts and logic had no place in the Labyrinth. 

"Is the word still now?" Jareth questioned in false seriousness as he kissed her forehead. Sarah opened an eye again and looked around. The world was no longer spinning, but it still shook.

"Still shaky, but better." Sarah replied as she pulled away and, to her immense surprise, he let her. Sarah looked at him, certain he was plotting something, and then looked around. The world that had been spinning had stilled enough for her to see that Jareth had brought her to the throne room.

"Since there is no need for you to run the Labyrinth, I figured that you might as well see your family." Jareth explained with an elegant shrug when he saw her confusion.

"Thank you." Sarah said with a smile and then frowned. "But no thank you." Sarah would not see them until they were out of the Underground.

"As you wish." Jareth said and did not ask for any explanation. On her part, Sarah was grateful for it. It would be impossible to explain what she did not completely understand. All she knew was that she could not face her family in this world.

"Where would you suggest I begin looking?" Sarah questioned as Jareth took a seat on his throne.

"But you have already found them." Jareth's answer did nothing to clarify her confusion. "Think of what you found before you rudely left my kingdom."